Quote by Herman Melville, The Berg (A Dre

I saw a ship of material build (Her standards set, her brave apparel on)Directed as by madness mereAgainst a solid iceberg steer,Nor budge it, though the infactuate ship went down.The impact made huge ice-cubes fallSullen in tons that crashed the deck;But that one avalanche was all--No other movement save the foundering wreck.Along the spurs of ridges pale,Not any slenderest shaft and frail,A prism over glass-green gorges lone,Toppled; or lace or traceries fine,Nor pendant drops in grot or mineWere jarred, when the stunned ship went down.Nor sole the gulls in cloud that wheeledCircling one snow-flanked peak afar,But nearer fowl the floes that skimmedAnd crystal beaches, felt no jar.No thrill transmitted stirred the lockOf jack-straw neddle-ice at base;Towers indermined by waves--the blockAtilt impending-- kept their place.Seals, dozing sleek on sliddery ledgesSlipt never, when by loftier edgesThrough the inertia overthrown,The impetuous ship in bafflement went down.Hard Berg (methought), so cold, so vast,With mortal damps self-overcast;Exhaling still thy dankish breath--Adrift dissolving, bound for death;Though lumpish thou, a lumbering one--A lumbering lubbard loitering slow,Impingers rue thee ad go slowSounding thy precipice below,Nor stir the slimy slug that sprawlsAlong thy dead indifference of walls.

Summary

This quote describes the image of a ship, full of confidence and adorned with grandeur, but directed by what seems like sheer madness, crashing into a solid iceberg. Despite the impact causing an avalanche of ice and the ship eventually sinking, the surrounding environment remains undisturbed. No fragile structures, delicate patterns, or even the birds and seals nearby are affected by the ship's demise. The quote conveys the idea that even the largest and most forceful entities can be rendered insignificant in the face of an unyielding obstacle, while the indifference of the iceberg symbolizes the vastness and immensity of nature.