Layers in Language

In the pieces of art we’ve seen representing the perspective of the sublime, there are always various layers to the landscape. Smith’s poem “Beachy Head”, is no exception from this, but the layers are painted with language rather than literal paint. The poem starts, “On thy stupendous summit” and moves from there. There are images of the horizon, and “the terns, and gulls, and tarrocks”. Furthermore, line 36 sits indented on the page, alone, with the words “afar off”. From there the scene expands to “a fleet/Of fishing vessels” that are off in the distance. The “afar off” creates another literal layer in the page in that it curves away from the left-justified text. The layers add depth to the visuals the poem gives, a key technique in creating the feeling of the sublime. This is paired with the depth of description in the poem, with phrases such as "transparent gold/Mingles with ruby tints and sapphire gleams" that add layers of color as well. Smith is able to paint a sublime landscape with black and white text.