I mark'd, where, on a little promontory, it stood, isolated;
Mark'd how, to explore the vacant, vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself;
Ever unreeling them -- ever tirelessly speeding them.
And you, O my soul, where you stand,
Surrounded, surrounded, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, -- seeking the spheres, to
connect them;
Till the bridge you will need, be form'd -- till the ductile anchor
hold;
Till the gossamer thread you fling, catch somewhere, O my soul.
Analysis:
This poem was written in 1863, some time before “O Captain, My captain!”. It is divided into two stanzas, describing and comparing a spider spinning restlessly its web and the restless wanderings of a soul. The first stanza is descriptive, and portrays a person observing a spider spinning its web, while the second stanza is a comparison. The poet is comparing the spider’s spinning to the restless wanderings of a soul, which is “stuck” in a world that is can only vaguely comprehend. There are too many mysteries and concepts that humans cannot understand. Another viewpoint on the second stanza is that the spider is the wandering soul. However, unlike the spider, the soul has nothing to connect with. Like a spider is building the web, the soul is randomly “throwing pieces” of itself (l.8) hoping that it will find a solid piece onto which it will start “building its own web”. Themes explored in this poem are isolation and exploration. Whitman helps us with isolation for the actually uses the word “stood isolated” (l.2). He describes how the soul is cut off from the outside world. Also exploration is evident, for both the spider and the soul explore the world, even though in two different ways. This theme gives a positive tone to the poem: in the end the spider will continue its web and the soul will make contact with someone, somewhere. This poem is full of hope, and invites people to explore and search for their happiness.
http://www.helium.com/items/1009614-poetry-analysis-a-noiseless-patient-spider-by-walt-whitman