How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line)
Quote #4
O harp and altar, of the fury fused,
(How could mere toil align thy choiring strings!) (lines 29-30)
Crane uses a technique called "invocation," where he tries to summon the spirit of the bridge. Another famous example of invocation in poetry is in the first line of Homer's Odyssey: "Sing to me of the man, Muse…" Again, the speaker tries to make us think of the bridge as being more than just a material product of labor ("toil").
Quote #5
Unto us lowliest sometime sweep, descend
And of the curveship lend a myth to God. (lines 43-44)
After building up this ridiculously Romantic idea of Brooklyn Bridge, the speaker finally asks the bridge to descend to the human level, to inspire and sustain us mere mortals. Crane's amazement is so dramatic that he starts making up words, like "curveship." What do you think this word means in the context of the poem?