Crossing the Loch (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes

Crossing the Loch

Overview

"Crossing the Loch" by Kathleen Jamie describes an adventurous journey home from the pub across a Scottish loch late at night. The speaker addresses their companion who was with them at the time, sharing a memory of a close relationship that has remained with the speaker over the years.

The poem creates a sense of fond nostalgia while also recognising the foolish nature of this youthful adventure. The reader is invited into a reminiscence of shared experience between two people who were once young and reckless together.

The poem explores three main themes: memory and reflection, journey and transition, and the wonder of nature.

Form and structure

The poem is divided into four stanzas. The first two stanzas each have seven lines, and the last two have nine lines each.

Jamie writes in free verse with a regularity of rhythm. This achieves two effects. The rhythm captures the speaking voice of the narrator, making the poem feel conversational and intimate. At the same time, it mirrors the rhythm of the oars moving through the water, connecting the form of the poem to its content.

Stanza one

The poem opens with a quiet, conversational question:

"Remember how we rowed toward the cottage / on the sickle-shaped bay"

The reader is immediately introduced to the theme of memory and reflection. Jamie establishes a reflective, intimate tone, inviting the reader into a shared memory between close companions.

The phrase "loosed us through its swinging doors" gives a sense of the two companions being released and set free without a care. The word "loosed" suggests they have been untied or let go into the open, wild space of the loch. The "swinging" doors of the pub suggest children playing, adding to the carefree mood at this point in the journey.

This opening stanza is one long interrogative sentence. The active verbs "pushed", "lipped" and "mouthed" give a sense of the effort involved in setting out across the loch.

"till water lipped the sides / as though the loch mouthed 'boat'?"

The first stanza creates a sense of excitement for what lies ahead. There is spontaneity as the adventure begins, with the companions full of youthful confidence.

Stanza two

The second stanza opens with a simple sentence:

"I forget who rowed."

This feeds into the theme of memory and reflection. The speaker does not remember the practical details of the journey, such as who rowed the boat. What they do recall is how the journey made them feel, which proves more lasting than factual details.

A change in mood follows as things start to take a more serious turn:

"Our jokes hushed."

Jamie uses another short sentence to tell the reader that the "jokes" and giddiness of being set loose from the pub has abruptly stopped. The jokes have been replaced with a quietness. Perhaps the pair have realised the danger of their situation. Their quietness is contrasted with the sounds coming from the loch itself:

"The oars' splash, creak, and the spill / of the loch reached long into the night."

The onomatopoeic words "splash", "creak" and "spill" juxtapose the "hushed" tones. The loch becomes the dominant sound, filling the night air. There is also a slightly eerie quality to "reached long into the night", which signals the beginning of the speaker's fear.

"Out in the race I was scared:"

The positioning of the setting at the start of this sentence gives a sense of danger. The word "race" indicates a strong rapid current of water, travelling at speed. This helps to clarify why the speaker is now "scared".

The water seems to conceal nuclear submarines, nightmares lurking below both real and metaphorical:

"…what the water held / of deadheads, ticking nuclear hulls."

The word "deadheads" (referring to something sunken or semi-submerged) suggests the hidden nature of the danger beneath the surface. The present participle "ticking" could suggest both time passing but also the sound of a bomb getting closer to detonating. This conveys the ever-present danger of the "nuclear hulls", which also resonates with the earlier "hills" through near-rhyme, linking the threats above and below.

Stanza three

The third stanza opens with another question that continues the earlier doubt about this memory:

"Who rowed, and who kept their peace?"

The words "salt-air and stars" make the memory more real by appealing to the senses. These words suggest what can be smelled or tasted and what can be seen on the journey. The sibilance in the phrase suggests the sound of the waves on the loch, creating a peaceful atmosphere. However, "hauled […] deep into their lungs" reminds us of the physical effort involved in rowing across the water. The companions "were not reassured", so their earlier fears remain.

Surprisingly, the experience takes on a magical quality as the speaker questions who first noticed the loch's "phosphorescence". Phosphorescence refers to an emission of light, often seen in water at night. This leads to a vivid simile:

"like a twittering nest / washed from the rushes"

This suggests small birds in a nest washed out from the safety of the shore. The image compares the companions to baby birds, who could be in danger and out of their depth. "Twittering" creates an idea of rapid, meaningless chatter, as if the pair do not have words adequate to describe what they can see.

Similarly, the speaker and their companion are drawn to the:

"magic dart of our bow wave"

A bow wave is the wave created at the front of a boat as it moves through water. The "magic" appearance of the bow wave could be the result of the phosphorescent glow of the water. The description continues the sense of awe and wonder at the natural world. It perhaps suggests the direction the boat is taking is being decided by forces beyond their control. Like the image of a nest, they are drifting without being able to choose their course. The word "dart" suggests something fast and precise moving through the loch, echoing the "race" from stanza two.

Stanza four

The speaker begins the final stanza by reflecting on their experience:

"It was surely foolhardy, such a broad loch, a tide,"

There is recognition of how reckless the crossing was. They could have capsized and drowned. The word "foolhardy" is suggestive of their youthful impulsiveness. The scale of their recklessness is emphasised by "broad" and "tide", highlighting how perilous the journey across the loch is. This may also symbolise the journey from youth to adulthood more broadly.

This danger is juxtaposed with safety in the next line:

"but we live"

The speaker reflects on how their lives have changed since that night:

"and even had children / to women and men we had yet to meet"

The fact they have children with partners "we had yet to meet" stresses that they had no idea where their lives would lead them. Jamie compares the journey of moving through the loch to the passage of time. Both a physical journey (from the dangers of the loch to the safety of the shore) and a symbolic journey (from youthful confidence to adult humility) are suggested.

The theme of memory and youthful confidence continues:

"that night we set out, calling our own"

The phrase "that night" places the reader firmly back in the speaker's memory. The phrase "calling our own" suggests a youthful claim over nature and experience. All the bravado of the young is remembered, their sense that they owned the world around them.

Jamie uses vivid imagery again to evoke the wild landscape:

"the sky and salt-water, wounded hills / dark-starred by blaeberries,"

"the glimmering anklets / we wore in the shallows"

This playful description likely refers to reflections as they wade through the water near the shore. As the poem ends, the travellers and the boat arrive safely:

"as we shipped oars and jumped, / to draw the boat safe, high at the cottage shore."

The "cottage" mentioned in the very first line has finally been reached. The words "safe", "cottage" and "shore" create a sense of comfort and domesticity, which contrasts with the dangers of the wild loch. This is further emphasised by the word "high", which puts physical space between the couple and the loch, ensuring safety.

Themes

Memory and reflection

"Crossing the Loch" is a recollection of a youthful, possibly reckless, journey. Jamie writes in free verse with a regular rhythm, which suits the reflective tone. The conversational style, as seen in the opening question "Remember how we rowed toward the cottage / on the sickle-shaped bay…", draws the reader into this shared memory.

The poem explores how memory shapes identity and how past experiences continue to resonate in the present. The speaker looks back with a mix of awe, nostalgia and humility. Details like who rowed the boat have been forgotten, but the emotional impact of the journey remains vivid. The speaker remembers the fear, the wonder at the phosphorescence, and the youthful confidence with which they approached danger.

Journey and transition

Jamie reflects on an adventurous journey late at night. The crossing of the loch is both literal and symbolic.

The literal journey captures the tension between risk and discovery. There is a clear recognition of the foolish nature of this youthful loch crossing. An underlying discomfort highlights the recklessness of being in this cold setting ("the cold shawl of breeze") where there may be "nuclear" danger and the potential to not survive the dark waters.

The journey represents growing up, with home and family (represented by the cottage, partners and children) as the destination.

The wonder of nature

Nature is portrayed as vast, beautiful and sometimes intimidating. The loch, sky, hills and water are described with reverence, emphasising the speaker's deep connection to the natural world and its power to inspire awe and introspection.

There is a sense of wonder at the remembered moment of magic:

"we watched water shine / on our fingers and oars, / the magic dart of our bow wave?"

Through sibilance, the speaker evokes and links the senses: "salt-air and stars" and "phosphorescence". This suggests all of nature acting together, surrounding the companions on their journey. Nature becomes a unified presence.

The safe arrival at "the cottage shore" allows the speaker to be thankful for survival, while also marvelling at the surrounding world. The phosphorescence, the stars, the blaeberries on the hills all create moments of beauty that endure in memory.

Comparisons with other Kathleen Jamie poems

Ospreys

The speaker in "Crossing the Loch" recalls a dangerous journey. The speaker in "Ospreys" also reflects on a journey: the changes and fluctuations of the birds' very long journey from Senegal to Scotland. While some of the dangers in "Crossing the Loch" are imagined or at worst potential, the dangers in "Ospreys" (blizzards, winds, road traffic) are all too real.

The human wonder for the natural world in "Crossing the Loch" is also conveyed in "Ospreys". The speaker in "Ospreys" admires the birds for their constancy in returning to their habitual breeding ground. The final sense of relief in both poems displays a similar note of praise for the glories of nature. The locals have waited and hoped for (and been rewarded by) the safe return of the ospreys, just as the speaker in "Crossing the Loch" is grateful for a safe arrival at journey's end.

What the Clyde said, after COP26

The relationship between people and nature is explored in "What the Clyde said, after COP26", particularly the damaging impact that human carelessness has on nature. This poem suggests that any relationship between humans and nature is strained:

"If asked - but you never ask - / I'd answer in tongues"

The fact that the Clyde would "answer in tongues" suggests that communication is difficult. Humans and nature are not speaking a common language.

Mr and Mrs Scotland are Dead

"Mr and Mrs Scotland are Dead" considers that humans have lost a relationship and closeness with nature that they once had:

"those days when he knew intimately / the thin roads of his country, hedgerows / hanged with small black brambles' hearts;"

This line paints a nostalgic picture of rural Scotland and connects the character of Mr Scotland to the land. The poem suggests that this close relationship between humanity and nature has been lost in a more individualistic society.

Song of Sunday

"Crossing the Loch" and "Song of Sunday" are both rich in personal memory, evoking moments from youth and family life. "Song of Sunday" looks back at a child's memory of the routine of life in an ordinary home on a Sunday, whereas "Crossing the Loch" looks back to a moment in the speaker's youth. In both poems, the past exists only as memory in the present.

The Morrow-bird

In contrast, "The Morrow-bird" deals with a vision of the past, but it is vast: one of the earth forming and the history of mankind, to herald a view of the future and what it will look like if we do not act. The reflection here is not a personal memory but the whole evolution of how we came to be here.

Remember!