Response to old Canadian Poem

The Swimmer's Moment

Margaret Avison

For everyone
The swimmer's moment at the whirlpool comes,
But many at that moment will not say
"This is the whirlpool, then."
By their refusal they are saved
From the black pit, and also from contesting
The deadly rapids, and emerging in
The mysterious, and more ample, further waters.
And so their bland-blank faces turn and turn
Pale and forever on the rim of suction
They will not recognize.
Of those who dare the knowledge
Many are whirled into the ominous centre
That, gaping vertical, seals up
For them an eternal boon of privacy,
So that we turn away from their defeat
With a despair, not for their deaths, but for
Ourselves, who cannot penetrate their secret
Nor even guess at the anonymous breadth
Where one or two have won:
(The silver reaches of the estuary).


Unlike older traditional poems, The Swimmer's Moment by Margaret Avison written in 19th Century has no regular meter or rhyme scheme. Through this poem, the author makes a significant, metaphorical comparison between swimming and life.
The usage of metaphorical comparison in the poem requires a reader to have an ability to link their life with swimming. Once the reader understands the relationship, the poem makes more sense and it touches the readers' heart. When I understood the inner-meaning , I felt great sympathy with the poet. The whirlpool stands for obstacles or challenges that people experience. At the moment when the swimmer is drowning, he or she chooses whether or not to overcome the difficulty, which is the whirlpool. I would highly acclaim for the usage of adjectives such as “mysterious”, “ominous”, and “black”, which help readers to imagine the picturesque. If I have to point out one thing, I would suggest using more literary devices: alliteration, assonance, and simile. Otherwise, it was a great poem that makes the readers to relate poem with their own life.

-Comment by Molly Kim