Thomas Hardy
What I noticed initially in this poem was the phrase in parenthesis underneath the title, "Lines on the loss of the Titanic". This tells the readers that the tone is likely going to be that of loss and solitude. At first, the speaker builds the ship up to seem strong, almost immortal. It's "steel chambers" show strength, the "salamandrine fires" are a symbol of immortality. The ship is then described in terms of materialism. "Over the mirrors meant to glass the opulent". The ship (and likely its people) are very inward focused, hence the mirrors. Throughout VIII and IX and through its imagery there is an overwhelming sense of pride. Its "vaingloriousness" takes over. Then, in XI, the speaker asserts that the combination of the iceberg and the ship was almost a destiny, as they combined into one, "And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres". They combine like they were meant to be together.
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