IV. Cape Hatteras, lines 1-31

Epigraph to Cape Hatteras by Walt Whitman: Robert Combs explains in his book Vision of the Voyage that, “The epigraph for ‘Cape Hatteras’…points toward a very different consummation—it is simply the end of life joyfully accepted…the title page of this poem points to the greatest strength Whitman marshaled, the strength to face the end of life with peace and with love for his own soul above all else” (Combs 140-41) “Passage to India”

Line 3: “Saurian Ghoul”- a ‘saurian’ is a type of lizard-like creature, now extinct, that existed on Earth during the ‘Permian’ geologic period, 299 to 251 million years ago. ‘Saurian ghoul’ is an image used in conjunction with ‘imponderable dinosaurs’ in the first 3 lines (OED).

'Dr. M in extassies at the apporoach of his pet Saurian' by Henry De la Beche. Many Saurian species existed in the 'Permian' period about 299 to 251 million years ago. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Line 8: “Astral”- Of, relating to, emanating from, or resembling the stars (OED).

Line 10: “Promontories”- a high point of land, esp of rocky coast, that juts out into the sea (OED)

Line 12: “Citadels”- The fortress commanding a city, which it serves both to protect and to keep in subjection (OED).

Line 15: “Marseille”- A city of southeast France on an arm of the Mediterranean Sea west-northwest of Toulon. The oldest city of France, it was founded c. 600 b.c. by Greeks from Asia Minor and overrun by barbarian tribes in the 5th and 6th centuries a.d. Marseille became independent in the 13th century and passed to France in 1481. Today it is an industrial center and a major seaport. Population: 821,000. Courtesy of Wikipedia

'Old Harbor (Vieux-Port), Marseille, France with Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Background,' by Anonymous. This painting of the port of Marseilles, was painted sometime between 1890 and 1900. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Line 19: “Bombay”- a port in W India, capital of Maharashtra state, on the Arabian Sea: ceded by Portugal to England in 1661 and of major importance in British India; commercial and industrial centre, esp for cotton. Pop.: 9 925 891 (1991) Courtesy of Wikipedia

Line 20: “Aeons”- an immeasurably long period of time; age, or, a period of one thousand million years (OED).

Line 21: “Derrick”- an instrument used to pull material out of the ground, an ‘oil derrick’ is a drill used to pull oil out of the ground (OED).

'Los Angeles Oil Rigs,' photographed by Anonymous. Oil derricks in Los Angeles, California, 1896. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Line 28: “Periscope”-Any of various tubular optical instruments that contain reflecting elements, such as mirrors and prisms, to permit observation from a position displaced from a direct line of sight (OED). Machine gunners in World War I stationed in trenches would use periscopes to sight targets without leaving their cover.

'British Trench Periscope Cape Helles 1915,' photographed by Anonymous. A British periscope sniper in the trenches at the Battle of Gallipoli, 1915. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Line 30: “Shunting”- To shunt means to turn or move aside or onto another course: shunting traffic around an accident (OED).

Line 30: “Labyrinth”- An intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze. Also, in Greek Mythology The maze in which the Minotaur was confined (OED).