DDCPoetry

Original poem reprinted online here:  "Not Waving but Drowning" by Stevie Smith Originally read: September 20, 2013 More information about the Poet: Stevie Smith The refrain of the poem, "Not Waving but Drowning" happens twice in this poem -- once at the end of the first stanza, and again on the end of the last stanza.  Why the refrain, well, I think it sets up this idea of waving -- going forward and going back. What also adds this idea of going forward and going back is the endstopped stanzas which are pretty much self contained.      Nobody heard him, the dead man,      But still he lay moaning:      I was much further out than you thought      And not waving but drowning. At this point the "drowning" is more literal in the sense, but the dead man lay moaning is an interpreted metaphor.  The speaker is placing he words in the dead man's mouth; however, the setting is observant with the speaker nothing "nobody ...