The poem “Sea Rose,” by H.D., uses an allegory of the sea rose to represent the idea of inner beauty. This idea of inner beauty is portrayed through the comparison of the sea rose with the wet rose and the spiced rose; however, the overall lesson that we learn from comparing the 3 roses can also be carried over to human society—which is what we truly care about. By utilizing a short, free-verse style and by sprinkling in vivid adjectives that paint a sense of descriptive imagery, H.D. compares the 3 roses and teaches the reader a dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover message.
H.D. begins the free-verse style in the first stanza by outlining the blemishes of the sea rose in a list like form. Line 2 in particular, “marred and with stint of petals,” as well as line 3, “meager flower, thin,” tell the reader that the sea rose is not the typical romantic rose that one gives to another on Valentine’s Day. The sea rose is lacking the pizzazz and the allure that is visualized when one thinks about a rose because the sea rose’s thinness and imperfect petals make it seem worthless. Despite the sea rose’s flaws, H.D. shifts the tone in the second and forth stanza and places the sea rose in a pedestal above the picturesque wet rose and the smell-pleasing spiced rose. In lines 4 and 5, “more precious than a wet rose,” and lines 14 and 15 “can the spiced-rose drip such acrid fragrance,” H.D. expresses favoritism towards the sea rose. In the third stanza, “Stunted, with small leaf, you are flung on the sand, you are lifted, in the crisp sand, that drives in the wind,” H.D explains that the sea rose is more beautiful then the other two roses because the sea rose has the ability to flow in the wind by itself. The broader meaning of the poem is that the so called on-the-surface beauty is not beautiful, but, rather, the beauty that comes with being independent and loving oneself is what is truly beautiful in this world (somewhat paradoxical if I must say).
Introduction to Poetry 