Symbol Analysis
It's a loaded phrase that's equally as abstract when it comes to what it actually means. But still it "stirs and urges everything" in the poem so it has to be important. The speaker doesn't tell us, though, if it's that same Immanent Will or "paths coincident" that's to blame for bringing the Titanic down. (Poets don't like to directly answer questions, as we know.) We do get the feeling that there is a kind of ominous presence that unites all things in the poem, so whether creative or destructive, there's no denying its influence.
- Lines 16-18: That Immanent Will gets everything moving whether we're aware of it or not. So it's behind the construction of both the Titanic and its sinister mate, the Iceberg.
- Lines 31-33: And behind the Immanent Will is a "Spinner of the Years" that gives the final signal for the collision of two hemispheres (ship and iceberg). By that time it's too late of course so although the Immanent Will might stir all things, it's virtually impossible to tell when and where worlds will collide.