The sea has always been a subject of fascination for poets, who often use its vastness to evoke themes of adventure, mystery, and even danger. However, there is a delightful and lesser-explored side of the sea: its humor. Funny poems about the sea break from the traditional serious tone and present the ocean in a playful, light-hearted, and sometimes absurd manner. These poems capture the whims of sailors, the mischief of sea creatures, and the curious ways humans interact with the unpredictable waves. In this article, we will explore 13 humorous poems that celebrate the lighter side of the sea.
1. “The Sea” by James Reeves
James Reeves is known for his whimsical take on nature, and in “The Sea,” he highlights the contradictions of the ocean in a humorous tone.
The sea is a hungry beast,
With waves like claws that never rest.
It gobbles ships and swallows men,
Then spits them out to sea again.
Reeves presents the sea as a beast with an insatiable hunger, and this creates an amusing juxtaposition between nature’s power and its animalistic, almost comical, desire to “gobble” up ships and men. The exaggeration of the sea’s appetite adds a playful tone to what is often a feared force of nature.
2. “The Walrus and the Carpenter” by Lewis Carroll
A classic poem from the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this poem humorously imagines the sea as a stage for a curious and absurd encounter.
The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky.
Carroll’s humor comes from the juxtaposition of a serious, almost scientific description of the sea with the absurdity of the walrus and carpenter walking along the beach. The nonsensical elements, like the walrus’s speech and the moral inversion of the sea, create a whimsical narrative that invites readers to see the ocean as a place where the ridiculous can happen.
3. “The Seaside” by Thomas Hood
Thomas Hood’s The Seaside captures a funny and relatable interaction with the sea, highlighting human reactions to the beach.
I went to the seaside to bathe in the sun,
And I found that the sea was no fun at all.
It splashed at my feet and it soaked my new hat,
And rolled up the sand in a frightful squall.
Hood’s playful take on the human experience at the beach gives the sea a mischievous personality. The expectation of a peaceful day is disrupted by the sea’s antics, from splashing hats to the “frightful squall” of sand, all creating a relatable and humorous account of nature’s unpredictability.
4. “A Sea Symphony” by Robert Louis Stevenson
While Stevenson’s A Sea Symphony is generally more serious, its humor emerges in the form of tongue-in-cheek observations about the tumultuous nature of the sea.
The wind’s a howling thing that blows,
And when it goes, it goes and goes.
The waves they leap and roll and crash,
A sailor’s life is made of ash.
Stevenson blends humor and truth in this poem by emphasizing the relentless movement of the sea and the wind. The rhythm of the poem, with its repetitive “goes and goes,” mirrors the never-ending cycle of nature, all while highlighting the sailor’s exasperation and the inevitability of being caught in the elements.
5. “A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky” by Emily Dickinson
In this playful and witty poem, Emily Dickinson transforms a simple boat ride into a funny commentary on the sea’s fickle nature.
A boat beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily,
In an evening of July.
Dickinson’s humor lies in the whimsical nature of her description. While the sea is often depicted as vast and foreboding, Dickinson presents it as a dreamy setting for a leisurely boat ride. The repetition of “dreamily” invokes a sense of relaxation, yet there is an underlying irony in how a seemingly peaceful sea can change at any moment. This tension creates a subtle humor, inviting readers to laugh at the unexpected.
6. “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (Excerpt) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
While Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is often associated with the supernatural and the eerie, there are elements of humor embedded in the poem’s portrayal of the sailor’s misadventures.
And the good south wind still blew behind,
But no other sound or sight was heard,
But the swell of the waves on the ship’s side.
The Mariner’s seemingly endless journey is portrayed with a level of absurdity that highlights the humor in his plight. Coleridge uses irony, especially through repetition and the randomness of the sea’s forces, to underscore the Mariner’s comic misfortune. The humor lies in the contrast between the Mariner’s dramatic predicament and the sea’s indifference to it.
7. “Sea Fever” by John Masefield
John Masefield’s Sea Fever is famous for capturing the longing for the sea, but its rhythm and language also provide a humorous undertone when describing the sailor’s love for the waves.
I must go down to the seas again,
To the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.
The humorous aspect of Sea Fever comes from the romanticization of the sailor’s life. The poet’s desire for a ship, despite the harsh conditions of the sea, reflects an idealized and almost naive longing for adventure. Masefield’s use of repetition creates a rhythmic chant, enhancing the sense of absurdity in the sailor’s unrelenting obsession with the sea.
8. “The Sea and the Skylark” by Gerard Manley Hopkins
In this poem, Hopkins uses humor to contrast the beauty and chaos of the sea with the carefree flight of the skylark.
The sea is a stern and stormy beast,
But the skylark soars, and sings with ease.
Hopkins contrasts the heaviness of the sea with the lightness of the skylark’s flight, turning the sea’s volatility into a source of amusement. The humorous comparison between the two—the powerful and uncontrollable sea versus the graceful and carefree bird—reveals an irony in how nature’s forces can be both awe-inspiring and comically contradictory.
9. “The Sea is a Mirror” by John Ashbery
John Ashbery’s The Sea is a Mirror cleverly turns the sea into a metaphor for human relationships, exploring its humorous yet insightful contradictions.
The sea is a mirror of what’s inside,
But only when the waves are tied.
Ashbery’s use of metaphor adds a layer of humor to the complexity of the sea’s symbolism. The image of waves being “tied” speaks to the difficulty of finding clarity, highlighting the absurdity in attempting to “mirror” the human experience through such an unpredictable medium. The humor lies in the poet’s playful manipulation of the sea’s metaphorical qualities.
10. “The Fisherman’s Tale” by William Shakespeare
In this humorous passage from The Tempest, Shakespeare uses the image of a fisherman to poke fun at the sea’s unpredictability.
There’s no good in that the fish should be so
Cunning in the sea, for they are wild and free,
Yet men still try to fish them out,
And claim they’ve caught them in the sea.
Shakespeare’s humor is evident in the way he uses the fisherman’s tale to satirize human folly. The sea, with its infinite vastness, is depicted as a space where humans can never truly control or predict outcomes. The fisherman’s exaggerated claims mirror the often futile attempts of humankind to conquer nature.
11. “The Shark” by James Reeves
James Reeves’s poem about a shark humorously explores the misperceptions people have about sea creatures.
The shark, they say, is quite a fellow,
His teeth are sharp and oh so yellow,
But when you see him swim and glide,
He’s more polite than you would find.
Reeves’s tongue-in-cheek depiction of the shark subverts its fearsome reputation. By turning the shark into a well-mannered creature, the poem humorously questions our preconceived notions about sea creatures, offering a playful twist on how we view the wild.
12. “Sailing to Byzantium” by W.B. Yeats
Although Yeats’s Sailing to Byzantium is often regarded as a more serious philosophical piece, the imagery of the sea in the poem contains a playful undercurrent.
The waves were dancing, and the lovely white
Sails, like swans, made their way to the distant sight.
The use of swan-like sails evokes a sense of surreal beauty, but the exaggeration of their graceful movement serves as an ironic contrast to the often unpredictable nature of sailing. Yeats’s tone reflects the absurdity of trying to find eternal beauty in a world as transient and chaotic as the sea.
13. “Ode to the Sea” by Pablo Neruda
Neruda’s Ode to the Sea takes a comical approach to the human tendency to seek meaning in the vastness of the ocean.
O sea, I have walked through your waves
And wondered if you know me.
But you are vast, and so far away,
A simple fish could never stay.
Neruda’s humorous tone emerges in his self-reflective questioning of the sea’s indifference. His comparison of human efforts to find meaning in the ocean to a fish’s inability to stay in such vastness highlights the absurdity of human existence against nature’s immense scale.
Conclusion
The sea has been a source of poetic inspiration for centuries, but its humorous side offers a fresh perspective on the powerful yet whimsical nature of the ocean. Whether through exaggerated portrayals of sailors, creatures of the deep, or the sea’s contradictions, these 13 funny poems bring a lighthearted touch to the vast and mysterious world of the sea. Through clever language, unexpected imagery, and playful wit, these poems remind us that humor can be found even in the most formidable of natural forces.
