Line 2; “Seagull” – seagulls frequently appear in The Bridge.
“Seagulls,” courtesy of Royalty Free Stock Images
Line 4; “Chained bay waters Liberty”- chains were strung across New York Harbor during World War I to prevent German
submarines from performing sneak attacks on the ships docked there
Stanzas 1-2; “how many…from our day…” – work day, from dawn till the elevator ride down to the ground floor to leave
Line5; “inviolate” – not violated, unmarred (OED)
Lines 9-10: “I think of cinemas, panoramic sleights / With multitudes bent toward some flashing scene”
Courtesy of Deneroff.com
Line 9; “sleight” -craft or cunning employed so as to deceive (OED)
Line 13; “Thee” – referring to the Brooklyn Bridge
Line 18; “bedlamite” – a madman or lunatic (OED)
Line 18; “parapet” – a defense of earth and stone to conceal troops from the enemy’s observation and fire; a protection against
missiles, raised on the top of a wall or rampart (OED). In this case, Crane is referring to the columns holding up the bridge or the
guardrails.