The Beach Treasure Poem

James Reeves wrote a little lyric poem titled "The Sea." The poem discusses the sea, as the headline indicates, and makes the unique connection of a dog to the sea.

It offers the reader a new, unique, and fascinating perspective on the water. The sea, as well as a dog are two seemingly unrelated objects in this world, but after reading this well-written poetry, you realise that they have a lot in common and are highly similar.

In this article, we will read the poem and read the beach treasure poem summary. We will analyse this rhyming poem on water. Let’s read this fascinating poem.

The Beach Treasure Poem Lyrics

Let’s read this rhyming poem on water below.

The sea is a hungry dog, 

Giant and grey. 

He rolls on the beach all day. 

With his clashing teeth and shaggy jaws 

Hour upon hour he gnaws 

The rumbling, tumbling stones, 

And 'Bones, bones, bones, bones!’ 

The giant sea-dog moans, 

Licking his greasy paws.

And when the night wind roars 

And the moon rocks in the stormy cloud, 

He bounds to his feet and snuffs and sniffs, 

Shaking his wet sides over the cliffs, 

And howls and hollos long and loud.

But on quiet days in May or June, 

When even the grasses on the dune 

Play no more their reedy tune, 

With his head between his paws 

He lies on the sandy shores, 

So quiet, so quiet, he scarcely snores.

Beach

Theme of the Beach Poem

The sea is this poem's recurring motif. The sea is extensively described by the poet, who likens its traits to those of a dog which seems odd at first but is beautifully explained through the three stanzas.

It's a brief lyric poem. There are three varying-length stanzas in it. The rhyme scheme also differs. A BB CC DDD C is the rhyming pattern for the first stanza, F GHHG appears in the second verse, while III C JJ appears in the third. 

The Beach Poem in Nutshell

This water poem for kids is fascinating and different from the general set of poems we often come across. It widens the range of thoughts of kids as it compares such different elements so wonderfully.

The speaker of the poem opens by likening the water to a ravenous dog. This is apparent throughout the whole poem. Here, the persona compares the shade of the sea to that particular dog's shade of grey. Here, the term "huge" is used to emphasise the sea's size and general hazard. The waves crashing has been menacingly described as a dog's jaw chewing. Lastly, a dog's snoring is used to compare the sound of the water. 

The second stanza continues the comparison. In order to illustrate how the water also carelessly crashes over all the cliffs during stormy nights, wetting itself in the process, it is contrasted to a dog who shakes off its moisture. Yet another comparison is made between the roaring of the waves and that of a dog.

In the third stanza, the poem switches from storms to lovely weather. May as well as June are used as metaphors for peaceful weather, even when the grass is still. The ocean is like a happy puppy lying quietly with its head between its paws here. The water is no longer a ravenous canine; instead, it is a calm, almost pleasantly lazy one.

About the Poet 

John Morris Reeves, a British author who lived from 1 July 1909 to 1 May 1978, is most known for his poems, dramas, works for young readers, and collected traditional song literature. Poetry, short stories, and anthologies for adults and kids are all included in his published publications. He was also widely known for his broadcasting and literary criticism.

James Reeves

Summary

This water poem for kids is unique in that it makes an apparently unrelated comparison between the sea and a dog. Thus, an intriguing impression is created as it describes the varied moods of the water and how it can alternate between being angry and tranquil at different moments, similar to how a dog would.

In this article, we read this easy poem for kids and tried to understand its meaning.