How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
The Tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls; (1-2)
The speaker lets us know right away that this will be a poem about death. "Twilight," "darkness" and "falls" all establish a somber, melancholy mood.
Quote #2
And the tide rises, the tide falls. (5)
Okay, so the speaker tells us again that the tide rises, and that the tide falls. Even though the falling of the tide is a metaphor for death, we get the sense that this isn't so bad, or rather, that dying is a natural part of life, as natural as the ebbing of the tide.
Quote #3
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls; (6-7)
The opening lines of the second stanza echo the opening lines of the poem, and once again reiterate that this is a poem about the darkness we will all experience at the end of life: death. The settling of darkness on the roofs and walls reminds us that the darkness will also soon be settling on the traveler.