Line 106: “Sheriff, Brakeman and Authority”– Whom Crane is addressing in this stanza. They too “feed the River timelessly” (Brunner 199).
"Sheriff Peter Bowe." (2004). Courtesy of New York Public Library.
Line 107: “Quid”- A small lump of something (esp. tobacco) for chewing (Oxford English Dictionary).
Line 112: “Dan Midland”- A mythical hobo (Brunner 199).
Line 116: “Jordan’s Brow”- Most likely a reference to the Biblical Jordan River.
"The Jordan River." (1947). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Line 124: “A liquid theme…swell”- A reference to drowned slaves.
Line 125: “Tonnage”- A charge or payment per ton on cargo or freight (Oxford English Dictionary).
Line 125: “Alluvial march of days”- Alluvial is an adjective for a deposit from flowing water (Oxford English Dictionary). Thus the “alluvial march of days” is the flowing of days along the River (The Mississippi River).
Line 126: “Nights turbid”- Turbid means thick, cloudy, or muddy (Oxford English Dictionary). Therefore the nights are thick and dense on the River.
Line 126: “Moraine clays”- Moraine is a mound, ridge, or other feature that has been passed down by a glacier (Oxford English Dictionary).
"Furrow Upturned Moraine Clay." (2004). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Line 128: “The Mississippi”- The Mississippi River.
"The Mississippi River Joins the Missouri River." Chris Light. (2007). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Line 131: “Ochreous”- Of the colour of ochre; specifically light, brownish yellow (Oxford English Dictionary).
Line 131: “Lynx”- A type of feline.
"Lynx." (2005). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Line 133: “De Soto’s bones”- Reference to Hernando De Soto, a Spanish conquistador who was the first European documented to have crossed the Mississippi River. He is fabled to have been buried in the River after he died (Wikipedia).
"Hernando De Soto." (2006). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Line 134: “The City..of three thrones”- Reference to New Orleans because it has been owned by the Spanish, the French, and the English. It is also known as the Crescent City because of the lower Mississippi River being located by it (Wikipedia).
"New Orleans on the Mississippi River." (2008). Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Line 136: “Anon”- Hence, soon afterward, later (Oxford English Dictionary).
Line 144: “Hosannas”- A cry or shout of praise or adoration (Oxford English Dictionary).