In just a few lines, the speaker describes becoming a wrecked ship that has sunk beneath the waves. The title tells us what has happened, and the poem then shows us the aftermath. Down below, the speaker has found "other weather," a phrase that suggests a different kind of climate, one cut off from the storms above. The wreck is a metaphor for a person who has been broken by life, and "poor ship that I have been" sounds like someone looking back on their former self with a mix of pity and weariness.
What stands out is that the drowning doesn't feel like a disaster. The speaker went "in search of peace" and chose to stay, even to "drink in the sea," which means taking the water in rather than fighting it. The mood is quiet, still, and a little eerie. It's sad, but also strangely calm, as if giving up the struggle brought relief. The poem leaves us unsure whether this is healing or surrender, and that ambiguity is what makes it linger.