On Culture, Knowledge, and Discipline
Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Sea Symphony” is often giggled at for its overt sexual imagery, given to it by the famous poet who supplied it’s libretto. One must concede, the titterers have a point. Walt Witman’s “limitless heaving breasts”, and “husky nurse” who sings “her husky song”, are visuals that are rather hard to refute. But, just as much as Witman’s poetry is littered with sexual symbolism, it is also laden quite heavily with religious imagery.