Columbus

Columbus’s ship and voyage function on both literal and figurative levels within the poem. On a literal level, the speaker is reimagining an actual historical event: Columbus’s voyage of discovery in 1492, when he (accidentally) discovered what became known as the New World (the Americas). But on a figurative level, Columbus’s voyage symbolizes the various hardships a person may face throughout the course of their life. For this reason, one of the key lines in the poem is when the mate asks Columbus, “‘What shall we do when hope is gone?’” (Line 30), as the line elevates the mate’s concerns from being merely occupied with immediate matters—such as the state of the ship and crew—to something more abstract and philosophical: What should a person do when in a dire situation and ready to despair? As the speaker recounts, Columbus’s “words leapt like a leaping sword” (Line 31), with the imagery of the “sword” suggesting something that can be used as a weapon against adversity. In this case, that weapon is the unshakeable optimism Columbus espouses: “‘Sail on! Sail on! Sail on! and on!’” (Line 32) In this way, Columbus’s ship becomes a stand-in for any person or thing attempting to reach a goal, with the voyage representing the highs and lows often faced along the way.