Mid-20th Century Canadian Poem Response

The Swimmer's Moment

Margaret Avison
From: Winter Sun. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962. pp.36

For everyone
The swimmer's moment at the whirlpool comes,
But many at that moment will not say
"This is the whirlpool, then."
By their refusal they are saved
From the black pit, and also from contesting
The deadly rapids, and emerging in
The mysterious, and more ample, further waters.
And so their bland-blank faces turn and turn
Pale and forever on the rim of suction
They will not recognize.
Of those who dare the knowledge
Many are whirled into the ominous centre
That, gaping vertical, seals up
For them an eternal boon of privacy,
So that we turn away from their defeat
With a despair, not for their deaths, but for
Ourselves, who cannot penetrate their secret
Nor even guess at the anonymous breadth
Where one or two have won:
(The silver reaches of the estuary).


This poem, written by Margaret Avison entitled “The Swimmer’s Moment”, was written in 1962, during a crucial time period of Canadian poetry and literature. Avison directly relates the difficulties and sometimes pleasures of a swim race to everyday experiences in the lives of average Canadians. A common symbol used throughout this poem is a whirlpool to represent a variety of challenges in life, and the repetition of this distinguishes the poem. Another distinguishing aspect to “The Swimmer’s Moment” is the interesting form, meter, and rhyme scheme that Avison wrote this poem in. Personally, I understand why this poem is famous and a reflection of Canadian culture and due to the complexity and clear, decisive message, “The Swimmer’s Moment” surely is a “winner”.

-Brendan Meagher