"Not Waving but Drowning" is the most famous poem by British poet Stevie Smith, and was first published in 1957. The poem describes a drowning man whose frantic arm gestures are mistaken for waving by distant onlookers. On a less literal level, the poem speaks to the isolation and pain of being misunderstood, and is a kind of parable about the distance between inner feelings and outward appearance.

• Read the full text of “Not Waving but Drowning”

• “Not Waving but Drowning” Summary

• “Not Waving but Drowning” Themes

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    Communication and Misunderstanding

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12
  • 

    Mental Illness and Isolation

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Not Waving but Drowning”

  • Lines 1-2

    Nobody heard him, ...
    ... he lay moaning:

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 3-4

    I was much ...
    ... waving but drowning.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 5-8

    Poor chap, he ...
    ... They said.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-10

    Oh, no no ...
    ... one lay moaning)

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 11-12

    I was much ...
    ... waving but drowning.

    

    

    

    

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• “Not Waving but Drowning” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “heard him”
    • Line 5: “loved larking”
    • Line 7: “him his heart”
    • Line 9: “no no no”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 7: “him his”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “him, the”
    • Line 5: “chap, he”
    • Line 9: “Oh, no,” “no, it”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 3-4: “ thought / And”
    • Lines 5-6: “larking / And”
    • Lines 11-12: “life / And”

  • Epizeuxis

    

    

    

    

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    Where epizeuxis appears in the poem:

    • Line 9: “no no no”

  • Paradox

    

    

    

    

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    Where paradox appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-12

• “Not Waving but Drowning” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Moaning
  • Larking
  • (Location in poem: Line 2: “moaning”; Line 10: “moaning”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Not Waving but Drowning”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Not Waving but Drowning” Speaker

• “Not Waving but Drowning” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Not Waving but Drowning”

• More “Not Waving but Drowning” Resources

  • External Resources

    • Smith's Illustrations — The line drawing that accompanies the poem.  

    • Playing Smith — An interview with actress Glenda Jackson, who played Stevie Smith on stage. 

    • Smith's Life and Work — More information about Smith's biography and poetry from the Poetry Foundation. 

    • Smith Reads Her Poem — Listen to Smith recite "Not Waving but Drowning."

    • "Making It New" — A documentary clip featuring Smith discussing her poetry.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Stevie Smith

    • Away, Melancholy

    • Touch and Go

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