" Till the Spinner of the Years
Said "Now!" And each one hears,
And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres...."See in text(Text of the Poem)
While “Spinner” may evoke the Greek Fates, Hardy likely alludes to the Christian God, an eternal and omnipotent being responsible for creating and preserving all things. Many Christians believe that God determines fate, thus making free will an illusion. Others believe that God bestowed free will upon humanity, but punishes them if they exercise their free will against his wishes. In “The Convergence of the Twain,” Hardy suggests that God seals the fate of the Titanic—thus making its demise inevitable—as punishment for the sin of pride and arrogance.
"salamandrine fires..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
The adjective “salamandrine” compares the ship’s fires to a salamander, a lizard-like amphibian. Ancient folklore and mythology attributed occult qualities to the salamander, including immunity to or strong associations with fire. The speaker’s use of “salamandrine” indicates that the fires that used to burn in the steel chambers used to be massive on a mythological scale, but now are completely extinguished underwater.
