Pine/Fir (motif)
References to pine trees and fir, which are used by the speaker as a metaphor for the sea, occur repeatedly in this short poem. Presumably, the speaker uses such a metaphor to describe the sea because she is a mountain nymph living amongst the pines. Perhaps for her, the beauty, strength, and green aura of the sea evoke the imagery of pine trees, an experience she welcomes and invites. Also, the sea-as-pine motif, which embodies some of the physical aspects of copulation, may be a metaphor for repressed desire, waves of sexual pleasure, or some kind of intense domination sought by the nymph.
