Storm Dance by Fannie Stearns Davis
"Storm Dance" by Fannie Stearns Davis is a poem that explores the dynamic and tumultuous relationship between the speaker and the sea. The poem personifies the waves as various entities, such as a boar and a woman, each representing different challenges and emotions. The speaker interacts with these waves, demonstrating resilience and defiance. The boar-like wave is aggressive, but the speaker escapes its grasp, while the woman-like wave is more seductive and emotional, yet the speaker rejects her. The poem culminates in a celebration of the speaker's indomitable spirit, as they embrace the chaos of the storm with laughter and courage, finding kinship with the wildness of the sea and the gulls.
By Fannie Stearns Davis · First published 1929 · Genre: Poetry, Nature Poetry, Romantic Poetry · 196 words
First lines
The water came up with a roar, The water came up to me. There was a wave with tusks of a boar, And he gnashed with his tusks on me. I leaned, I leapt, and was free. He snarled and struggled and fled. Foaming and blind he turned to the sea, And his brothers trampled him dead.
The water came up with a shriek. The water came up to me. There was a wave with a woman's cheek And she shuddered and clung to me. I crouched, I cast her away. She cursed me and swooned and died. Her green hair tangled like sea-weed lay Tossed out on the tearing tide.
What this Textopian page supports
Storm Dance is listed on Textopian as a poem by Fannie Stearns Davis, dated 1929 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Fannie Stearns Davis
- Date: 1929 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Nature Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Allegorical Poetry, Adventure
- Length: 196 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Storm Dance by Fannie Stearns Davis
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is composed entirely in verse, employing a rhythmic and lyrical structure that is definitive of poetry.
- Nature Poetry — The text vividly depicts natural elements—water, storms, and sea imagery—to explore themes of force and transformation.
- Romantic Poetry — The intense emotional interplay and celebration of human spirit amid nature’s power align with the features of Romantic poetry.
- Allegorical Poetry — The personification of natural forces and the symbolic challenges presented in the narrative suggest a deeper allegorical meaning.
Tags
romance · historical fiction · passion · drama · betrayal · adventure · love · destiny · sacrifice · resilience · family secrets · intrigue