Impression de Voyage

This poem “Impression De Voyage” by Oscar Wilde is in the sonnet form ABBA-ACCA-DEFFED. All in all though it really is just about the voyage, the poet took everything into account. The 14 lines stanza of the poem is composed in iambic pentameter and with a complex rhyme scheme. The Poet uses sounds in the sestet at the end. The imagery is nice (sapphire/opal/red sun upon the sea). There is the imagery of nature, sea and ship. Wilde presents ship imagery through various images like; steep prow, hoisted sail, the mast, creek and the stern. All these images symbolize a voyage or a journey perhaps a journey from life to death. Ship actually symbolizes refuge and sea is the symbol of danger. The color of the sun is red and it is going to set in the west. This image of “red sun upon the seas to ride” symbolize life’s journey towards death. “Lycaon’s snowy peak” is also symbolizing death and sterility. At the same instance the poet is mentioning the images ; flower strewn hills, blowing fair wind, blue lands, and olive grove, they all symbolize life.
The use of auditory images; “flapping of the sail, the wind was blowing, ripple of the water, ripple of girl’s laughter”, these create aural impressions, symbolizing life, activity and energy. Thus life has juxtaposed with death by using contrasting images. The poet has used different colors to describe the beauty of nature."Nature" meant many things to the Romantics. This poem is as true of Romantic landscape painting as of Romantic nature poetry. Romantic nature poetry is essentially poetry of meditation. Oscar Wilde has romanticized the nature in this poem. The landscape of the sea and the sky/ burned like a heated opal through the air”, establishes temporal and spatial distance between the enthusiastic visitor and the “fabled” Greece of myth and romance.
The sapphire/ blue color of the sea is juxtaposed with heated opal/red sky. Blue color is the color of heaven. It is the color of equilibrium and impartiality