From Faust - I. Dedication Comments

The world according to urchins.... Never been a fan of modern poetry where words are often used only for their auditorial aesthetic value and not their meanings.... As in real life beauty never replaces substance. Not when something really matters, really counts. The literal translation of the words in this poem - as I understand them - is that urchins are reporting that there are children - bound by ropes (cordage) - and resting on the bottom of the sea. Where they are obviously dead. Was that Crane's intention? With modern poetry - who knows? His intention might have simply been 'wow, these words look really cool next to one another.'