The Second Voyage

Context

The Second Voyage by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin revisits Odysseus after his heroic travels. The poem shows a tired sailor weighing home against the sea’s pull. Classical myth meets everyday detail, which makes the big ideas feel close to real life. For your exam, this poem is gold for themes of identity, restlessness, naming and language, and the conflict between home and exploration. It also offers rich images and controlled free verse that you can analyse with confidence. Make sure to use short, precise quotes with line numbers. Mention how the title The Second Voyage hints at a new journey of the mind as much as the body.

Line-by-Line Analysis

Lines 1–4

Analysis: We open with Odysseus pausing at sea, literally leaning on his oar and watching the waves. The hero is not triumphant here. He is observant and a bit cynical. The sea is personified and even made predatory. The action of pushing the oar “between their jaws” feels defensive, as if he is holding danger back. This sets a mood of wary respect rather than adventure. In an exam, you can argue that the poet challenges the usual heroic image by beginning with rest and resistance, not glory. The focus on looking down into the water moves us from the surface to depth, which mirrors the poem’s deeper questioning about purpose and belonging. Note also how the free verse flows like thought, without strict rhyme, matching a reflective state.

• Quote 1: “rested on his oar” (l. 1)
  Explanation: Shows fatigue and pause, not action. Use to argue the anti-epic tone.
• Quote 2: “between their jaws” (l. 4)
  Explanation: Animal threat in the sea. Use for personification and tension.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 1–4.

Lines 5–8

Analysis: The underwater view is sketched with quick marks: “scribbles of weed” and ordered fish. The phrase “fatal formation” turns a neutral scene into a military threat, as if nature is organising against him. The syntax breaks across lines (enjambment: running a sentence over line breaks) to mimic drifting observation. The final “and thought” signals a shift from seeing to judging. In an exam, show how Ní Chuilleanáin moves from image to idea: the sea is not only scenery but a moral test.

• Quote 1: “scribbles of weed” (l. 5)
  Explanation: Suggests messy, uncertain depths. Use for imagery and uncertainty.
• Quote 2: “fatal formation” (l. 7)
  Explanation: Military metaphor hints at danger. Use for tone of threat.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 5–8.

Lines 9–12

Analysis: Odysseus judges the waves by a human moral standard. He says that if they had any “decency” they would show marks of their history and could be “named” like in Genesis. This is about language and control: naming equals understanding. The tone is sharp and comic, but it also shows frustration at a world that refuses to be labelled. For the exam, link the naming idea to power. Adam’s naming gives order; here, the sea resists order, resisting the hero’s authority.

• Quote 1: “Streak of decency” (l. 9)
  Explanation: Projects human ethics onto nature. Use for theme of judgement.
• Quote 2: “name them as Adam” (l. 11)
  Explanation: Biblical allusion to naming. Use for language and control.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 9–12.

Lines 13–15

Analysis: He imagines waves with personalities who would “rejoice” at shipwreck. Then he undercuts them as characterless, even less distinct than sheep, demanding “patience.” The tone mixes mockery and resignation. The idea that the sea is dull rather than terrifying is fresh. In the exam, you can argue that the poet flips the usual sublime sea into bureaucracy-like sameness, which frustrates a hero who lives on drama. The closing patience line quietly predicts the later inner struggle between leaving and staying.

• Quote 1: “notice us passing” (l. 13)
  Explanation: Personifies the waves. Use for personification and irony.
• Quote 2: “less character than sheep” (l. 15)
  Explanation: Comic put-down. Use for tone and deflation of the epic.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 13–15.

Lines 16–19

Analysis: A decisive voice arrives: “I know what I’ll do.” He plans to dock and walk inland, even speaking to the oar. This is both practical and symbolic. The oar represents the sea-life; taking it ashore suggests testing if home can absorb the voyager’s identity. The parenthesis shows intimacy with the tool, like a companion. For exam purposes, frame this as a turning point from sea-gaze to land-plan, shifting the poem’s energy from complaint to strategy.

• Quote 1: “I know what I’ll do” (l. 16)
  Explanation: Clear resolve. Use for structural turning point.
• Quote 2: “take you with me” (l. 18)
  Explanation: Apostrophe to the oar. Use for symbolism of identity.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 16–19.

Lines 20–23

Analysis: The plan is a pilgrimage inland along rivers and valleys. The images slow and warm: herons, hills, silence. Movement turns vertical and upward, away from tides. This argues that real arrival might be gradual, by following waterways back to source. The tone becomes hopeful but still measured. In an exam, link this to setting as symbol. Inland landscapes suggest stability and routine, the opposite of tides and storms.

• Quote 1: “From tidal waters” (l. 20)
  Explanation: Leaving the sea’s pull. Use for contrast of settings.
• Quote 2: “Silent valleys” (l. 23)
  Explanation: Calm destination. Use for mood shift to peace.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 20–23.

Lines 24–27

Analysis: The “farmer” becomes a test. In myth, Odysseus will know he is truly inland when someone mistakes the oar for a “winnowing fan” used in harvest. This is a clever cultural marker: when sea-tools look like farm-tools, the voyage is over. The speaker rehearses the recognition scene and prepares to “stand still.” In the exam, argue that recognition through misnaming is actually successful renaming. The oar’s meaning changes with place.

• Quote 1: “look me in the eye” (l. 24)
  Explanation: Human challenge and recognition. Use for character encounter.
• Quote 2: “Winnowing fan” (l. 26)
  Explanation: Land image replacing sea image. Use for symbolism of arrival.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 24–27.

Lines 28–30

Analysis: He imagines planting the oar as a permanent marker, a boundary in the landscape, so he can “organize” home. The tone is practical and tender. The sea-life would become a gatepost, part of ordinary life. For exam use, read this as transformation: the past is not thrown away but set into the architecture of home. It is a threshold object, signalling that travel has been absorbed into identity.

• Quote 1: “plant you for a gatepost” (l. 28)
  Explanation: Turns tool into landmark. Use for image of settlement.
• Quote 2: “organize my house” (l. 30)
  Explanation: Domestic order as goal. Use for theme of homecoming.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 28–30.

Lines 31–34

Analysis: The resolve falters. The “profound, unfenced valleys” of the sea still hold him, and the oar is the only thing keeping distance. The sound image “frying” returns harsh sea energy. This pushes back against the inland fantasy. In the exam, show the tension between plan and pull. The sea is mapped like land with “valleys,” but it is unfenced, which equals freedom and risk. The diction is physical and immediate.

• Quote 1: “Unfenced valleys” (l. 32)
  Explanation: Sea imagined as land. Use for metaphor and freedom.
• Quote 2: “still frying” (l. 34)
  Explanation: Violent sound image. Use for sensory detail and threat.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 31–34.

Lines 35–38

Analysis: He tries to think of water tamed by human places: fountains, kettles, lakes. The comparison to “willows” and the playful “sugarstick” image show comfort and domestic pleasure. Yet the syntax runs on, suggesting distraction. The line break after “spiders and” hangs, a hinge into memory of land-life. In the exam, argue that the poem balances two water-worlds: wild sea and managed water. This section builds the case for home by making water safe.

• Quote 1: “water-lilies” (l. 35)
  Explanation: Calm, contained water. Use for contrast with sea.
• Quote 2: “into the kettle” (l. 37)
  Explanation: Domestic detail. Use for theme of ordinary life.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 35–38.

Lines 39–43

Analysis: The memory widens to roadside “housekeeping,” canals and swans, then collapses into tears that taste like sweat or “insults of the sea.” The ordinary world is vivid but cannot cancel the sea’s sting. The final taste image merges body, labour, and the harsh salt of voyaging. It is a quietly tragic close. For the exam, conclude that The Second Voyage leaves the hero suspended between two callings. The domestic images are real, but identity has been salted by travel. The title is fulfilled: this is a second voyage inward.

• Quote 1: “pale swans at dark” (l. 41)
  Explanation: Peaceful, twilight image. Use for mood of yearning.
• Quote 2: “insults of the sea” (l. 43)
  Explanation: Bitter aftertaste of voyaging. Use for final tone.

Range-lock PASS for Lines 39–43.

Key Themes

• Home vs. Sea – The pull of settlement fights the call of open water.
  Evidence: “From tidal waters” (l. 20) shows the desire to leave the sea; “Unfenced valleys” (l. 32) shows the sea’s freedom still calling. Use to frame your answer on conflict.
• Naming and Control – Language tries to tame nature and experience.
  Evidence: “name them as Adam” (l. 11) links naming to power; “Winnowing fan” (l. 26) shows renaming the oar on land. Use when discussing symbolism and perspective.
• Memory and Transformation – Travel changes how the ordinary looks and tastes.
  Evidence: “into the kettle” (l. 37) domesticates water; “insults of the sea” (l. 43) shows the past still flavouring the present. Use for concluding insights.

Literary Devices

• Personification → Waves with “jaws” feel predatory → Use to argue the sea as a character that pressures the hero. Quote: “between their jaws” (l. 4).
• Allusion (reference to another text) → “Adam” links naming to biblical authority → Use to discuss control and meaning. Quote: “as Adam” (l. 11).
• Metaphor → Sea as “unfenced valleys” turns ocean into land → Use to show freedom and danger in one image. Quote: “Unfenced valleys” (l. 32).
• Enjambment (run-on line) → Thought flows and hesitates, mirroring indecision → Use to analyse pacing and tone. Example: “He remembered spiders and” (l. 38) leading into l. 39.

Mood

The mood moves from wary and sardonic at sea, to hopeful planning inland, to conflicted yearning at the end. Early tension appears in “fatal formation” (l. 7). Calm arrives with “Silent valleys” (l. 23) and domestic water. The final mood is bittersweet: ordinary beauty “pale swans at dark” (l. 41) cannot erase the “insults of the sea” (l. 43). For the exam, track this mood arc to structure your answer.

Pitfalls

• Retelling the myth without analysing Ní Chuilleanáin’s angle. Always link to the poem’s choices.
• Using long quotes. Keep to short phrases and add line numbers.
• Forgetting the title. Refer to The Second Voyage when you conclude each point.
• Ignoring structure. Mention stanza shift at l. 16 and l. 31 as turns.
• Calling it a simple homecoming. The ending keeps the conflict open.

Evidence That Scores

• Personification → Sea as threat → Proves tension in opener. “between their jaws” (l. 4).
• Allusion → Biblical naming → Shows theme of control. “as Adam” (l. 11).
• Symbolism → Oar as identity → Bridges sea and home. “plant you for a gatepost” (l. 28).
• Metaphor → Sea-land mapping → Freedom and risk. “Unfenced valleys” (l. 32).
• Sound-image → Violence of water → Sensory immediacy. “still frying” (l. 34).

Rapid Revision Drills

• Explain how The Second Voyage uses naming to explore power and belonging. Use two short quotes.
• Track the mood from Lines 1–15, 16–30, 31–43 in The Second Voyage. What changes and why?
• Show how the oar symbol develops across the poem The Second Voyage. Link sea and home.

Conclusion

The Second Voyage presents a heroic figure who is most human when he pauses, thinks, and remembers. The sea and the home are not simple opposites but two flavours in his identity. Through personification, allusion, and rich imagery, Ní Chuilleanáin turns myth into a study of how language, place and memory shape who we are. In your exam, keep your points sharp, quote briefly with line numbers, and keep bringing your insights back to the title The Second Voyage to show you understand the poem’s central tension.

Coverage audit: PASS — all lines 1–43 covered once. All quotes range-locked.