Holding Fast: Skipwith Cannéll's "Nocturne II"
A companion piece to the previous work, "Nocturne II" was also featured in the 1913 edition of Poetry magazine. Skipwith Cannéll continues to utilize the spare, evocative language of the Imagist movement to capture a moment of spiritual or emotional vulnerability. While the first "Nocturne" focused on the clarity of a torch's light, this second movement explores the precariousness of faith and the need for a stabilizing force amidst the "deep waters" of existence.
The Poem
Thy feet are white
Upon the foam of the sea;
Hold me fast, thou bright Swan,
Lest I stumble,
And into deep waters.
The Insight: Holding Fast
The poem offers a delicate summary of human fragility and the search for anchorage. By personifying the "bright Swan" as a protector, Cannéll highlights the contrast between the purity and stability of the ideal and the stumbling, uncertain nature of the individual soul.
Cannéll utilizes the "foam of the sea" to represent a threshold—a place of constant motion and potential danger. The "white feet" of the Swan suggest a being that is at home in this chaos, moving across the waves with a grace that the speaker lacks. The illustration captures this beautifully, showing a woman clinging to a massive, luminous swan as they crest a wave, with the distant castle representing the safety that feels just out of reach.
The core philosophical "takeaway" is the admission of weakness. The speaker does not claim to be able to swim or navigate the "deep waters" alone; instead, they cry out to be held fast. It is a powerful reminder that there is a specific kind of strength found in recognizing when we are about to "stumble" and reaching for something brighter and more enduring than ourselves.
