The poem “Crow and the Sea” chronicles the struggles a “he” (the titular crow) has with existing next to the sea.
At first, he unsuccessfully tries to interact with the sea, or in contrast to ignore its existence but both times has to concede the sea's superiority. The sea is established to transcend both death and life and to be too much to handle for him to simply treat as an equal.
Next he tries to change his attitude and feelings towards the sea. But the sea renders his sympathy unimportant and he quickly perceives his hatred of it as foolish, given how much less he is than the sea.
Finally, he simply tries to exist in the sea's vicinity, but reaches his physical limits. At last, he decides to give up and leave the sea behind, as he realizes that it, other than himself, cannot simply move away but is condemned to stay where it is.