Fletcher turns a fleet of steamships into a pod of living creatures. He repeats the image of “black plunging dolphins with red bellies,” so the ships feel muscular and animal rather than merely mechanical. They wallow, snort smoke, thrash, and roll through rough green water on a windy, cloud-filled day. The speaker watches with a mix of awe and restless energy: the scene is loud, wet, and full of motion, but also strangely beautiful. By the end, the ships become “avid of spoil” and “gleaners of the seas,” adventurers heading toward purple and chrome horizons. That gives the poem a slightly predatory, ambitious undercurrent beneath its vivid description. The overall mood is dramatic and exhilarating, as if industry has taken on the wild life of the ocean itself.
Steamers — Summary
Like black plunging dolphins with red bellies, The steamers in herds Swim through the choppy breakers On this day of winds and clouds. Wallowing and plunging, They seek their path, The smoke of their snorting Hangs in the sky.
Like black plunging dolphins with red bellies, The steamers pass, Flapping their propellers Salt with the spray. Their iron sides glisten, Their stays thrash: Their funnels quiver With the heat from beneath.
Like black plunging dolphins with red bellies, The steamers together Dive and roll through the tumult Of green hissing water.
These are the avid of spoil, Gleaners of the seas, They loom on their adventure Up purple and chrome horizons.