from Drifting Flowers of the Sea
Across the dunes, in the waning light, The rising moon pours her amber rays,
Through the slumbrous air of the dim, brown night The pungent smell of the seaweed strays— From vast and trackless spaces Where wind and water meet,
White flowers, that rise from the sleepless deep, Come drifting to my feet.
They flutter the shore in a drowsy tune, Unfurl their bloom to the lightlorn sky, Allow a caress to the rising moon, Then fall to slumber, and fade, and die.
(from "Drifting Flowers of the Sea" by Sadakichi Hartmann)
Part A
Which phrase best describes the mood of the poem?
• 1. sad and despairing
• 2. calm and dreamlike
• 3. eager and expectant
• 4. nervous and uneasy
5
Part B
Select two lines from the poem that best support the correct answer from
Part A.
10
I 1. "The rising moon pours her amber rays," (Line 2)
2. "Through the slumbrous air of the dim, brown night" (Line 3)
3. "The pungent smell of the seaweed strays—" (Line 4)
4. "They flutter the shore in a drowsy tune," (Line 9)
5. "Unfurl their bloom to the lightlorn sky." (Line 10)
1 answer
Part A: The phrase that best describes the mood of the poem is:
• 2. calm and dreamlike
Part B: The two lines from the poem that best support the answer from Part A are:
"The rising moon pours her amber rays," (Line 2)
"They flutter the shore in a drowsy tune," (Line 9)
