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The Annotated Edition

PEACE by Alfred Noyes

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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A speaker, exhausted by the chaos of modern life, yearns to return to a simpler, quieter world — the sea, the fields at harvest time, and the people who care for him.

Poet
Alfred Noyes
Era
Modernist (1918)
Themes
home, memory, sorrow
The PoemFull text

PEACE

Alfred Noyes, 1918

Give me the pulse of the tide again And the slow lapse of the leaves, The rustling gold of a field of grain And a bird in the nested eaves; And a fishing-smack in the old harbour Where all was happy and young; And an echo or two of the songs I knew When songs could still be sung. For I would empty my heart of all This world's implacable roar, And I would turn to my home, and fall Asleep in my home once more; And I would forget what the cities say, And the folly of all the wise, And turn to my own true folk this day, And the love in their constant eyes. There is peace, peace, where the sea-birds wheel, And peace in the breaking wave; And I have a broken heart to heal, And a broken soul to save.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A speaker, exhausted by the chaos of modern life, yearns to return to a simpler, quieter world — the sea, the fields at harvest time, and the people who care for him. He wishes to swap the clamor and skepticism of city life for the natural rhythms of his youth. By the final stanza, we understand why: he carries a shattered heart and a weary soul, convinced that only that tranquil place can bring him healing.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. Give me the pulse of the tide again / And the slow lapse of the leaves,

    Editor's note

    The speaker begins with a straightforward, almost urgent plea — not a mere wish, but a firm request: *give me*. He seeks sensory experiences: the steady ebb and flow of the tide, the leisurely descent of leaves. "Pulse" evokes the heartbeat, hinting that the natural world vibrates with life in a way that the city lacks. "Slow lapse" indicates the pace he longs for — gradual and relaxed, contrasting sharply with urgency.

  2. And a fishing-smack in the old harbour / Where all was happy and young;

    Editor's note

    A fishing smack is a small working boat, and its presence in "the old harbour" grounds the poem in a specific, remembered location instead of an unclear fantasy. "Where all was happy and young" captures the essence: the speaker isn't merely depicting a place but a moment in time. He is diving into his memories, and the joy he describes is firmly rooted in the past.

  3. For I would empty my heart of all / This world's implacable roar,

    Editor's note

    Here the speaker shares his deep longing. "Implacable roar" is a powerful phrase—implacable refers to something that can't be softened or reasoned with. The noise of the modern world isn't just loud; it's unyielding and uncaring. He wishes to *empty* his heart of it, as if this noise has overwhelmed him and pushed out all the good.

  4. And I would forget what the cities say, / And the folly of all the wise,

    Editor's note

    "The folly of all the wise" is a strikingly sharp line. Noyes expresses doubt about urban intellectualism — those clever folks in cities who chatter endlessly, but whose wisdom he sees as empty. He longs to forget their declarations and go back to those he trusts: his "own true folk," whose love is described as *constant*, signifying that it's steady and unchanging, in contrast to the ever-shifting opinions found in the city.

  5. There is peace, peace, where the sea-birds wheel, / And peace in the breaking wave;

    Editor's note

    The repetition of "peace" three times within two lines serves as the emotional high point of the poem. It feels almost like a chant or a prayer. The images of sea-birds circling and waves crashing convey a sense of natural motion that is, in a way, calming — movement without hostility. This stanza finally identifies what the entire poem has been hinting at, only to quickly uncover the underlying cost: the speaker seeks this peace because he is wounded.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is both weary and tender. There’s a sense of longing woven throughout, yet it never veers into self-pity. Noyes maintains clean, sensory language, which lends the poem a quiet dignity, even as the speaker confesses to having a broken heart and soul. The final stanza shifts the tone a bit—the repeated use of "peace" feels almost like a prayer, and the acknowledgment of brokenness carries significant weight after four stanzas of gentle longing.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The tide
The tide's pulse represents the natural rhythm and continuity of a world that flows on its own terms, unconcerned with human noise and ambition. It contrasts sharply with the city's "implacable roar."
The fishing-smack in the old harbour
This small working boat reflects the speaker's past — a particular, modest, and cherished life. It's not a grand vessel; its simplicity is key. It signifies a life filled with honest, straightforward work and a sense of belonging.
The breaking wave
The wave crashes and reshapes itself over and over, hinting at how repetition can heal and showing that peace isn’t a fixed place but a dynamic, ever-renewing experience. This also reflects the speaker's own sense of being broken—things can fall apart and still carry on.
The constant eyes of his folk
The eyes of the speaker's loved ones symbolize a love that is unwavering and constant — a stark contrast to the unpredictable, ever-changing nature of cities and clever individuals. The word "constant" carries significant weight here: it conveys both reliability and loyalty.
The roar of the world
The city's "implacable roar" represents modernity — industrial, relentless, and emotionally draining. It’s what the speaker is escaping, and describing it as something beyond reason gives it an almost hostile, natural force quality.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Alfred Noyes wrote during a time of significant change in British society. Born in 1880, he matured as industrialization transformed the English landscape and cities swelled with new populations. He also wrote in the aftermath of the First World War, which shattered the confidence of many and left people, including poets, searching for something stable to cling to. Noyes held traditional views in both politics and poetry, resisting the modernist experiments of Eliot and Pound while remaining deeply connected to rural England and the sea. This poem embodies that perspective: it represents a retreat from modernity toward nature, memory, and home. The "broken heart" and "broken soul" in the final stanza imply a personal wound, although Noyes never clarifies it, allowing the poem to resonate with anyone who has felt worn down by life's challenges.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It tells the story of a speaker who feels worn out and emotionally shattered by the noise and cynicism of today's world. He yearns to go back to a tranquil, natural setting from his past — the sea, the fields, and the loved ones around him — as he believes that only the peace found there can truly heal him.

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