"Watching for Dolphins" is a poem by contemporary English poet David Constantine, published in his 1983 collection of the same name. The poem details the experience of a group of passengers watching for wild dolphins aboard a ship bound for Piraeus, Greece. Constantine uses this premise to explore themes of isolation and connection, the role of imagination in ordinary life, and the desire for intense, meaningful encounters with the natural world. The passengers' desire to see dolphins eventually comes to symbolize their longing for spiritual epiphany, connectedness, and a sense of profound, communal purpose.

• Read the full text of “Watching for Dolphins”

• “Watching for Dolphins” Summary

• “Watching for Dolphins” Themes

  • 

    Nature, Spirituality, and Purpose

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Line 2
    • Line 3
    • Lines 3-12
    • Line 12
    • Lines 12-16
    • Line 16
    • Lines 16-23
    • Line 23
    • Lines 23-31
  • 

    Isolation, Longing, and Connection

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4
    • Lines 5-6
    • Lines 18-19
    • Line 20
    • Lines 21-22
    • Line 23
    • Lines 23-27
    • Lines 30-33
    • Lines 33-36
  • 

    The Power of Imagination

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 23-31

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Watching for Dolphins”

  • Lines 1-6

    In the summer ...
    ... watch for dolphins.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-12

    One saw them ...
    ... if anyone would.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 12-16

    Day after day ...
    ... likeness of dolphins.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 16-19

    Were gulls a ...
    ... implored the sea.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 20-22

    All, unaccustomed, wanted ...
    ... gong and drum.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 23-25

    We could not ...
    ... like satyrs, oh

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 26-31

    We should have ...
    ... the deep parts.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 31-36

    But soon ...
    ... in the city.

    

    

    

    

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• “Watching for Dolphins” Symbols

  • 

    Dolphins

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 5-6: “Passed forward through the small door into the bows / To watch for dolphins”
    • Lines 10-12: “others, / Hopeless themselves, looked to the children for they / Would see dolphins if anyone would”
    • Lines 15-16: “a sea the sun and the wind between them raised / To a likeness of dolphins”
    • Lines 23-25: “and had they then / On the waves, on the climax of our longing come / Smiling, snub-nosed, domed like satyrs”
    • Lines 27-31: “pointing how with a leap / They left their element, three or four times, centred / On grace, and heavily and warm re-entered, / Looping the keel. We should have felt them go / Further and further into the deep parts”
    • Lines 33-34: “We had not seen the dolphins / But woke, blinking”

• “Watching for Dolphins” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-2: “Piraeus / One”
    • Lines 2-3: “rose / From”
    • Lines 3-4: “serious / Looks”
    • Lines 4-5: “purpose / Passed”
    • Lines 5-6: “bows / To”
    • Lines 6-7: “lose / Every”
    • Lines 7-8: “lovers / Turned”
    • Lines 8-9: “man / Hung”
    • Lines 9-10: “occasion / Stared”
    • Lines 11-12: “they / Would”
    • Lines 12-13: “day / Or”
    • Lines 13-14: “gazed / Undecided”
    • Lines 14-15: “favourable / Or”
    • Lines 15-16: “raised / To”
    • Lines 16-17: “fell / Screeching”
    • Lines 17-18: “place / Sat”
    • Lines 18-19: “face / After”
    • Lines 21-22: “Aegean / Reverberate”
    • Lines 23-24: “then / On”
    • Lines 25-26: “oh / We”
    • Lines 26-27: “up / Stranger”
    • Lines 27-28: “leap / They”
    • Lines 28-29: “centred / On”
    • Lines 30-31: “go / Further”
    • Lines 31-32: “soon / We”
    • Lines 32-33: “chains / In”
    • Lines 33-34: “ dolphins / But”
    • Lines 34-35: “down / With ”
    • Lines 35-36: “company / Dispersed”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “summer,” “Piraeus”
    • Line 2: “certain,” “passengers,” “soon”
    • Line 3: “seats,” “packed,” “saloon,” “serious”
    • Line 4: “purpose”
    • Line 5: “Passed”
    • Line 8: “fat”
    • Line 9: “photograph”
    • Line 10: “Stared,” “saint,” “focals”
    • Line 12: “dolphins,” “Day,” “day”
    • Line 13: “on,” “opportunity,” “all”
    • Line 14: “flat,” “favourable”
    • Line 15: “sea,” “sun”
    • Line 16: “sign”
    • Line 17: “Screeching,” “sky”
    • Line 18: “Sat,” “silent,” “school”
    • Line 19: “character,” “sea”
    • Line 21: “sky,” “clang,” “abused,” “Aegean”
    • Line 22: “cymbal”
    • Line 23: “could,” “they,” “then”
    • Line 24: “climax,” “come”
    • Line 25: “Smiling,” “snub,” “satyrs”
    • Line 26: “laughed,” “lifted”
    • Line 27: “Stranger,” “stranger,” “leap”
    • Line 28: “They,” “left,” “their”
    • Line 30: “felt”
    • Line 31: “Further,” “further,” “deep,” “But”
    • Line 32: “We,” “were”
    • Line 33: “black,” “water,” “We,” “dolphins”
    • Line 34: “But,” “woke,” “blinking,” “cast,” “down”
    • Line 35: “With,” “disappointment,” “company”
    • Line 36: “Dispersed”

  • Sibilance

    

    

    

    

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    Where sibilance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “summer,” “months,” “crossing,” “Piraeus”
    • Line 2: “noticed,” “certain,” “passengers,” “soon”
    • Line 3: “seats,” “saloon,” “serious”
    • Line 4: “Looks,” “purpose”
    • Line 5: “Passed,” “small”
    • Line 6: “saw”
    • Line 8: “sea”
    • Line 10: “Stared,” “saint,” “sad”
    • Line 11: “Hopeless,” “themselves”
    • Line 12: “see”
    • Line 13: “last”
    • Line 14: “Undecided”
    • Line 15: “sea,” “sun”
    • Line 16: “likeness,” “sign”
    • Line 17: “Screeching,” “sky,” “place”
    • Line 18: “Sat,” “silent,” “school,” “face”
    • Line 19: “sea”
    • Line 20: “unaccustomed”
    • Line 21: “sky”
    • Line 22: “cymbal”
    • Line 25: “Smiling,” “snub-nosed,” “satyrs”
    • Line 27: “Stranger ,” “stranger,”
    • Line 28: “centred”
    • Line 29: “grace”
    • Line 31: “parts,” “soon”
    • Line 33: “seen”
    • Line 34: “cast”
    • Line 35: “disappointment”
    • Line 36: “Dispersed,” “city”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “summer,” “months,” “Piraeus”
    • Line 2: “soon”
    • Line 3: “saloon,” “serious”
    • Line 4: “purpose”
    • Line 5: “forward,” “door”
    • Line 6: “watch,” “dolphins,” “saw,” “lose”
    • Line 9: “occasion”
    • Line 10: “saint”
    • Line 11: “they”
    • Line 12: “Day,” “day”
    • Line 13: “gazed”
    • Line 14: “favourable”
    • Line 15: “raised”
    • Line 16: “likeness,” “sign”
    • Line 17: “sky,” “place”
    • Line 18: “silent,” “face”
    • Line 19: “sea”
    • Line 20: “epiphany”
    • Line 21: “Praying,” “clang”
    • Line 22: “drum.”
    • Line 24: “come”
    • Line 25: “snub,” “nosed,” “domed,” “satyrs,” “oh”
    • Line 26: “have,” “laughed”
    • Line 27: “Stranger,” “stranger,” “leap”
    • Line 28: “left,” “element,” “three,” “centred”
    • Line 29: “heavily,” “re,” “entered”
    • Line 30: “keel”
    • Line 31: “Further,” “further”
    • Line 32: “great,” “tankers,” “chains”
    • Line 33: “black,” “water,” “had,” “not,” “dolphins”
    • Line 34: “blinking”
    • Line 35: “company”
    • Line 36: “prepared,” “land,” “ city”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “summer months,” “crossing,” “Piraeus”
    • Line 2: “noticed,” “certain passengers soon,” “rose”
    • Line 3: “seats,” “packed,” “saloon,” “serious”
    • Line 4: “Looks,” “acknowledgement,” “common,” “purpose”
    • Line 5: “Passed,” “forward,” “through,” “small,” “door,” “bows”
    • Line 6: “watch,” “lose”
    • Line 7: “Every,” “Even”
    • Lines 7-8: “lovers / Turned their desires”
    • Line 8: “fat”
    • Line 9: “equipment,” “photograph,” “occasion”
    • Line 10: “Stared,” “saint,” “sad,” “bi-focals”
    • Line 11: “Hopeless”
    • Line 12: “Day,” “day”
    • Line 14: “flat,” “favourable”
    • Line 15: “sea,” “sun,” “wind between”
    • Line 16: “likeness,” “dolphins,” “gulls,” “sign,” “fell”
    • Line 17: “Screeching from,” “sky,” “unremarkable,” “place”
    • Line 18: “Sat,” “silent school,” “face”
    • Line 19: “character,” “sea”
    • Line 20: “unaccustomed,” “epiphany”
    • Line 21: “Praying,” “ sky,” “clang”
    • Line 22: “cymbal”
    • Line 23: “they then”
    • Line 24: “climax,” “longing,” “come”
    • Line 25: “Smiling,” “snub-nosed,” “domed,” “like,” “satyrs”
    • Line 26: “laughed,” “lifted,” “children,” “up”
    • Line 27: “Stranger,” “stranger,” “pointing,” “leap”
    • Line 28: “left,” “element,” “four,” “centred”
    • Line 29: “grace,” “heavily,” “re-entered”
    • Line 30: “Looping,” “keel,” “felt”
    • Line 31: “Further,” “further,” “deep,” “parts,” “soon”
    • Line 32: “We were,” “among,” “great,” “tankers,” “under their”
    • Line 33: “black,” “water,” “We,” “dolphins”
    • Line 34: “But,” “woke,” “blinking,” “cast,” “down”
    • Line 35: “With,” “admission,” “disappointment,” “company”
    • Line 36: “Dispersed,” “prepared,” “land”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Line 10: “Stared like a saint”
    • Line 16: “To a likeness of dolphins”
    • Line 25: “domed like satyrs”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 6: “dolphins. One”
    • Line 7: “wish. Even”
    • Line 8: “sea, and”
    • Line 10: “saint, through,” “bi-focals; others”
    • Line 11: “themselves, looked”
    • Line 12: “would. Day”
    • Line 16: “dolphins. Were,” “sign, that”
    • Line 18: “school? Every”
    • Line 20: “All, unaccustomed, wanted”
    • Line 22: “cymbal, gong”
    • Line 23: “prayer, and”
    • Line 24: “waves, on”
    • Line 25: “Smiling, snub-nosed, domed,” “satyrs, oh”
    • Line 27: “stranger, pointing”
    • Line 28: “element, three,” “times, centred”
    • Line 29: “grace, and”
    • Line 30: “keel. We”
    • Line 31: “parts. But”
    • Line 32: “tankers, under”
    • Line 33: “water. We”
    • Line 34: “woke, blinking. Eyes”

  • Imagery

    

    

    

    

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    Where imagery appears in the poem:

    • Lines 2-4
    • Line 5
    • Lines 8-10
    • Lines 15-16
    • Lines 16-18
    • Lines 21-22
    • Lines 23-25
    • Lines 25-31
    • Lines 31-33

  • Juxtaposition

    

    

    

    

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    Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

    • Lines 14-16: “Undecided whether a flat calm were favourable / Or a sea the sun and the wind between them raised / To a likeness of dolphins.”
    • Lines 26-28: “We should have laughed and lifted the children up / Stranger to stranger, pointing how with a leap / They left their element,”
    • Lines 30-33: “We should have felt them go / Further and further into the deep parts. But soon / We were among the great tankers, under their chains / In black water. ”
    • Lines 34-36: “Eyes cast down / With no admission of disappointment the company / Dispersed and prepared to land in the city.”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 12: “Day after day”
    • Line 13: “Or”
    • Line 15: “Or”
    • Line 21: “Praying”
    • Line 23: “prayer”
    • Line 24: “On the waves, on the climax”
    • Line 27: “Stranger to stranger”
    • Line 31: “Further and further”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 25: “Smiling, snub-nosed, domed like satyrs,”

• “Watching for Dolphins” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Piraeus
  • Saloon
  • Bows
  • Bi-focals
  • Implored
  • Epiphany
  • Aegean
  • Reverberate
  • Satyrs
  • Keel
  • Tankers
  • Dispersed
  • (Location in poem: Line 1: “Piraeus”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Watching for Dolphins”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Watching for Dolphins” Speaker

• “Watching for Dolphins” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Watching for Dolphins”

• More “Watching for Dolphins” Resources

  • External Resources

    • The Poem Out Loud — A recording of David Constantine reading "Watching for Dolphins."

    • Romanticism — A brief guide to Romantic poetry.

    • David Constantine's Biography — Info regarding the poet's life and contribution to literature, including bibliography and awards.

    • More of Constantine's Poems — More info on David Constantine, including recordings of some of his other poems.

    • An Interview — Joseph Hutchison interviews David Constantine for Cerise Press.

    • Another Interview! — Rupert Dastur interviews David Constantine for Word Factory.

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