The Convergence of the Twain (Poem Blogs)

"And consumation comes, and jars two hemispheres."

First off, "Twain" from the title has nothing to do with Mark Twain, and means "two." The poem has to do with the Titanic and includes the time leading up to and including the crash into the iceberg. The diction of the poem portrays that the ship and the iceberg were destined for each other. Words like "mate," intimate welding," "twin halves," and "consumation" suggest this destiny. Hardy is suggesting that the people felt the Titanic with all its luxuries and opulence was an amazing testimony to the power of man. He then tells the reader that God and nature will always be more powerful. "The Pride of Life," "Immanent Will," and "the Spinner of the Years" all stand for God, who is controlling this fate of the collision of the Titanic and the iceberg. The theme of the poem is human vanity < indifferent nature. I enjoyed Hardy's outlook on such a common known event.