--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the ship approached the equator, I…" description: "\"“When the ship approached the equator, I stopped going out on deck in the daytime. The sun burned like a flame. The days had shortened and night came s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_abyss_when-the-ship-approached-the-equator-i-s_2338623.jpg" --- # When the ship approached the equator, I stopped going out… ![“When the ship approached the equator, I stopped going out on deck in the daytime. The sun burned like a flame. The days had shortened and night came swiftly. One moment it was light, the next it was dark. The sun did not set but fell into the water like a meteor. Late in the evening, when I went…” quote by Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_abyss_when-the-ship-approached-the-equator-i-s_2338623.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_abyss_when-the-ship-approached-the-equator-i-s_2338623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/isaac-bashevis-singer-2215_abyss_when-the-ship-approached-the-equator-i-s_2338623.jpg) > ““When the ship approached the equator, I stopped going out on deck in the daytime. The sun burned like a flame. The days had shortened and night came swiftly. One moment it was light, the next it was dark. The sun did not set but fell into the water like a meteor. Late in the evening, when I went out briefly, a hot wind slapped my face. From the ocean came a roar of passions that seemed to have broken through all barriers:'We mus procreate and multiply! We must exhaust all the powers of lust!' The waves glowed like lava, and I imagined I could see multitudes of living beings - algae, whales, sea monsters - reveling in an orgy, from the surface to the bottom of the sea. Immortality was the law here. The whole planet raged with animation. At times, I heard my name in the clamor: the spirit of the abyss calling me to join them in their nocturnal dance. ("Hanka")”” [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid, surreal description of the equatorial sea where natural forces ignite primal urges and a sense of endless vitality. **In simple terms:** The sea’s heat sparks wild, instinctive desire and a feeling of timeless energy. Key Takeaway Embrace the raw, instinctive energy of nature. Themes nature instinct energy surrealism Mood awe intense reflective Type descriptive poetic philosophical When to use this quote - tropical sailing - nighttime meditation - creative writing - artistic inspiration Key Concepts primal desire ecology mythic imagination Questions to Reflect On - How does extreme environment affect human instinct? - What does the sea symbolize for you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may exaggerate natural processes, blurring scientific reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Approached Equator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approached-equator-5652017/) [Equator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equator/) [Lust Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust-waves-5652015/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Ocean Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-came-2792301/) [Orgy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orgy/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sea Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-immortality-5652014/) [Sea-monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-monsters-165176/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) [Waves Glowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waves-glowed-5652016/) ## Related quotes > [“With the smell so close, the ocean came into view only a few moments later, sometimes peeking between old brick buildings with bright blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/with-the-smell-so-close-the-ocean-came-into-view-only-a-few-moments/) [Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/) > [I threw bitter tears at the ocean, but all that came back was the tide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-threw-bitter-tears-at-the-ocean-but-all-that-came-back-was-the-tide/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [I had never seen an ocean before I came to Mumbai, something that now we take for granted. But the first time I stood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-had-never-seen-an-ocean-before-i-came-to-mumbai-something-that-now/) [Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/) > [“About midnight excited hails were heard from a boat about a couple of miles out at sea to the southeast of Sidmouth, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/about-midnight-excited-hails-were-heard-from-a-boat-about-a-couple-of/) [H.G. 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Well, I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-skrutskie/but-before-that-day-it-felt-like-at-least-i-had-an-ally-on-this-boat/) [Emily Skrutskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-skrutskie/) > [“Gavin to Adante: “So you’re proof that sea monsters really do exist?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-angell/gavin-to-adante-so-you-re-proof-that-sea-monsters-really-do-exist/) [Jasmine Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-angell/) ## More by Isaac Bashevis Singer > [Every body resisted (the slaughterer) in its own fashion, tried to escape and seemed to argue with the Creator to its last breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/every-body-resisted-the-slaughterer-in-its-own-fashion-tried-to/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing the practice. According to this logic, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/people-often-say-that-humans-have-always-eaten-animals-as-if-this-is/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/as-long-as-people-will-shed-the-blood-of-innocent-creatures-there-can/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [There must be a way for man to attain all possible pleasures, all the powers and knowledge that nature can grant him, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/there-must-be-a-way-for-man-to-attain-all-possible-pleasures-all-the/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [What nature creates has eternity in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/what-nature-creates-has-eternity-in-it/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [“The rabbi thought he saw an expression of perplexity in the golem's eyes. It seemed to the rabbi that his eyes were asking, Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-rabbi-thought-he-saw-an-expression-of-perplexity-in-the-golem-s/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [“If you hear I'm dead, don't come to my funeral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-hear-i-m-dead-don-t-come-to-my-funeral/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/if-you-keep-saying-things-are-going-to-be-bad-you-have-a-good-chance/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [Men want all women to lie down as whores and get up as virgins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/men-want-all-women-to-lie-down-as-whores-and-get-up-as-virgins/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [A story to me means a plot where there is some surprise... 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It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [The cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/the-cradle-rocks-above-an-abyss-and-common-sense-tells-us-that-our/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [In the end things must be as they are and have always been--the great things remain for the great, the abysses for the profound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-things-must-be-as-they-are-and-have-always-been-the-great/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I admire the Elsie Tanners and Barbara Windsors of the world: people who have crawled back from the abyss. I'm quite camp in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-eclair/i-admire-the-elsie-tanners-and-barbara-windsors-of-the-world-people/) [Jenny Eclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-eclair/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) > [I look into my heart and see the abyss looking back at me.' 'I won't let you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-look-into-my-heart-and-see-the-abyss-looking-back-at-me-i-won-t-let/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [There is no drop of water in the ocean, not even in the deepest parts of the abyss, that does not know and respond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/there-is-no-drop-of-water-in-the-ocean-not-even-in-the-deepest-parts/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [“But first whom shall we send In search of this new world, whom shall we find Sufficient? Who shall tempt, with wand'ring feet The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/but-first-whom-shall-we-send-in-search-of-this-new-world-whom-shall/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Many women don’t know what orgasm is. Many men don’t know was total orgasm is. Many only achieve a local orgasm, a genital orgasm;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-women-don-t-know-what-orgasm-is-many-men-don-t-know-was-total/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Fear not. For fear itself is fed by fear, and all fears pass. Did no one tell you so? Come take my hand, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/fear-not-for-fear-itself-is-fed-by-fear-and-all-fears-pass-did-no-one/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [We belong to an age where apocalypse is our daily bread, coffee's black, and we know we're part of the abyss. Red Spider White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/we-belong-to-an-age-where-apocalypse-is-our-daily-bread-coffee-s/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) [Browse all 625 Abyss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When the ship approached the equator, I stopped going out on deck in the daytime. The sun burned like a flame. The days had shortened and night came swiftly. One moment it was light, the next it was dark. The sun did not set but fell into the water like a meteor. Late in the evening, when I went out briefly, a hot wind slapped my face. From the ocean came a roar of passions that seemed to have broken through all barriers:'We mus procreate and multiply! We must exhaust all the powers of lust!' The waves glowed like lava, and I imagined I could see multitudes of living beings - algae, whales, sea monsters - reveling in an orgy, from the surface to the bottom of the sea. Immortality was the law here. The whole planet raged with animation. At times, I heard my name in the clamor: the spirit of the abyss calling me to join them in their nocturnal dance. 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