Line 127: “oily tympanum of waters” – This most likely refers to the harbor where ships sit leaving oil behind. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, tympanum is a “drum or similar instrument” or it could also be the “drum of the ear,” both connecting with the metaphor of the Brooklyn Bridge as a musical instrument.
Line 130: “coil of ticking towers” – Reference to the Brooklyn Bridge and the “time-measuring towers of the city towards morning (‘morrow’) and the future” (Sugg 106).
Line 131: “River that is East” – This is the East River, which the Brooklyn Bridge spans, separating Manhattan from Brooklyn.
"Bridges- Brooklyn Bridge," (1925). Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery.
"Bridges- Brooklyn Bridge," (1925). Courtesy of the NYPL Digital Gallery.
Line 137: “O Hand of Fire” – Refer to line 93 of Ave Maria. This line is a “repetition of the cry of Colombus” from Ave Maria (Lewis 364).