50 POINTS!!!!!!

By Victoria Mary Sackville-West


When little lights in little ports come out,

Quivering down through water with the stars,

And all the fishing fleet of slender spars

Range at their moorings, veer with tide about;


When race of wind is stilled and sails are furled,

And underneath our single riding-light

The curve of black-ribbed deck gleams palely white,

And slumbrous waters pool a slumbrous world;


Then, and then only, have I thought how sweet

Old age might sink upon a windy youth,

Quiet beneath the riding-light of truth,

Weathered through storms, and gracious in retreat.



How do the lines in bold develop the theme of the poem?

AThey create tension between action and inaction.

BThey imply the growing darkness of death.

CThey suggest the end of an active life.

DThey support the metaphor of sailing.