And as the smart ship grew In stature, grace, and hue, In shadowy silent distance grew the Iceberg too. Alien they seemed to be; No mortal eye could see The intimate welding of their later history, Or sign that they were bent By paths coincident On being anon twin halves of one august event, Till the Spinner of the Years Said 'Now!' And each one hears, And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The Titanic and iceberg seemed separate until fate brought them together for a catastrophic collision.
- In plain terms
- Two distant paths converged inevitably toward a shared, tragic event.
- What can you take from it?
- Destiny can bring distant forces together for a single moment.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do small choices lead to big outcomes?
- What invisible forces shape your path?
Another view
Small changes in trajectory can lead to unavoidable large-scale consequences.
More from Thomas Hardy
In a solitude of the sea Deep from human vanity, And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she.
Permalink to quote #22 I seem but a dead man held on end To sink down soon.... O you could not know That such swift fleeing No soul foreseeing - Not even I - would undo me so!
Permalink to quote #24 We two kept house, the Past and I, The Past and I; I tended while it hovered nigh, Leaving me never alone.
Permalink to quote #21
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