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IV. Death by Water by T. S. Eliot — Analysis & Translation

2 min read English

Original Poem

IV. Death by Water Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead, Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell And the profit and loss. A current under sea Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell He passed the stages of his age and youth Entering the whirlpool. Gentile or Jew O you who turn the wheel and look to windward, Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.

Translation (English)

IV. Death by Water Phlebas the Phoenician, dead for two weeks, Forgot the sound of seagulls and the movement of the sea And the ups and downs of life. An underwater current Silently stripped his bones. As he moved up and down He went through the stages of his life Entering the whirlpool. Whether you are Gentile or Jew You who control fate and look ahead, Think of Phlebas, who was once as good-looking and as tall as you.

About the Poet

T. S. Eliot (Modernist)

Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888–1965) was a leading figure of modernist poetry. Born in the United States, he moved to England in 1914 and became a British subject in 1927. Eliot is known for his influential works like 'The Waste Land' and 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock'. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948.

Read more on Wikipedia →

Historical Context

Literary Form
Modernist poetry
When Written
1922
Background
The poem is part of 'The Waste Land', a seminal modernist work that reflects the disillusionment and fragmentation of post-World War I society. 'Death by Water' serves as a meditation on mortality and the futility of human endeavors.

Sources: https://tseliot.com/poetry/the-waste-land/read/death-by-water, https://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/the-waste-land/full-text/section4/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot

Detailed Explanation

This poem, 'Death by Water', is a section from T. S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land'. It reflects on the inevitability of death and the insignificance of human achievements. Phlebas, a Phoenician, has been dead for two weeks, and in death, he has forgotten the sounds and movements of life, as well as the material concerns of profit and loss. The imagery of the sea picking his bones in whispers suggests a quiet, inevitable decay. As Phlebas rises and falls in the water, he metaphorically revisits the stages of his life, ultimately being consumed by the whirlpool, symbolizing the cycle of life and death. The poem concludes with a reminder to the reader, regardless of their background, to consider the fate of Phlebas, who was once vibrant and full of life, but now is reduced to nothing. This serves as a meditation on mortality and the transient nature of human existence.

Themes

  • Mortality
  • The futility of human endeavors
  • The cycle of life and death

Literary Devices

  • Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the sea and Phlebas's decay.
  • Symbolism: The sea represents the inevitability of death.
  • Allusion: References to Phoenician culture and the biblical Gentile or Jew.
  • Metaphor: The whirlpool as a metaphor for the cycle of life and death.

Word Dictionary

Word Meaning Translation Transliteration
fortnight two weeks two weeks fort-night
swell rise and fall rise and fall swel
current flow flow kur-rent
whispers quiet sounds quiet sounds whis-pers
whirlpool vortex vortex whirl-pool
Gentile non-Jew non-Jew jen-tile
windward facing the wind facing the wind wind-ward
Phlebas a character a Phoenician man in the poem Flee-bas

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