--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... you trip and lance Your finger at a…" description: "\"“... you trip and lance Your finger at a crab. It strikes. You rub It inch-meal to a bilge of shell. You dance Child-crazy over tub and gunnel, graspin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/robert-lowell-6901_quote_you-trip-and-lance-your-finger-at-a-crab_1593675.jpg" --- # ... you trip and lance Your finger at a crab. It strikes… ![“... you trip and lance Your finger at a crab. It strikes. You rub It inch-meal to a bilge of shell. You dance Child-crazy over tub and gunnel, grasping Your pitchfork like a trident, poised to stab The greasy eel-grass clasping and unclasping The jellied iridescence of the crab.” quote by Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/robert-lowell-6901_quote_you-trip-and-lance-your-finger-at-a-crab_1593675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/robert-lowell-6901_quote_you-trip-and-lance-your-finger-at-a-crab_1593675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b4/robert-lowell-6901_quote_you-trip-and-lance-your-finger-at-a-crab_1593675.jpg) > ““... you trip and lance Your finger at a crab. It strikes. You rub It inch-meal to a bilge of shell. You dance Child-crazy over tub and gunnel, grasping Your pitchfork like a trident, poised to stab The greasy eel-grass clasping and unclasping The jellied iridescence of the crab.”” [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage uses vivid, chaotic imagery of a crab encounter to convey frustration and the absurdity of conflict. **In simple terms:** A crab fight shows how small conflicts can feel overwhelming. Key Takeaway Recognize the absurdity in petty struggles. Themes conflict absurdity frustration nature Mood irritated intense Type poetic observational When to use this quote - personal arguments - workplace disputes - traffic jams - sports competitions Key Concepts metaphor sensory detail chaos Questions to Reflect On - When do you let minor irritations dominate? - How can you transform frustration into calm action? A Different Perspective It may romanticize conflict, ignoring constructive resolution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crab/) [Crab Strikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crab-strikes-6045649/) [Finger Crab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finger-crab-6045650/) [Grasping Pitchfork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grasping-pitchfork-6045651/) [Trip Lance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trip-lance-6045652/) ## Related quotes > [“A steaming plate appeared in front of Lex- the crab wontons, nestled in a lettuce leaf. Blond deep-fried dumplings. Maybe she'd walk out without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camy-tang/a-steaming-plate-appeared-in-front-of-lex-the-crab-wontons-nestled-in/) [Camy Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camy-tang/) > [Wild garlic and crab is a revelatory pairing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/wild-garlic-and-crab-is-a-revelatory-pairing/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [As a boy I was a hermit crab, but I soon came out of my shell. Now I am a pincer crab, and soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/as-a-boy-i-was-a-hermit-crab-but-i-soon-came-out-of-my-shell-now-i-am/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [While you can find zucchini in markets in most places year-round, allowing you to make everything from breakfast dishes like zucchini and onion frittatas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/while-you-can-find-zucchini-in-markets-in-most-places-year-round/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [It's always a good idea to chill your crab cake mixture for a few hours, or even overnight, before frying because they'll hold together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/it-s-always-a-good-idea-to-chill-your-crab-cake-mixture-for-a-few/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [Crab meat is surprisingly sweet in its purest form, which is why it is often pepped up with zippy chilli and lifted with citrus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/crab-meat-is-surprisingly-sweet-in-its-purest-form-which-is-why-it-is/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [Sweet, delicious Dungeness crab is always a treat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/sweet-delicious-dungeness-crab-is-always-a-treat/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [I never watch MTV. I don't have time to watch TV. And when I do, I'm watching the Discovery Channel. 'Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-schroeder/i-never-watch-mtv-i-don-t-have-time-to-watch-tv-and-when-i-do-i-m/) [Carly Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-schroeder/) > [“But that was a long time ago and since then a crab has been gnawing at my vitals. All this began in the Metro…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/but-that-was-a-long-time-ago-and-since-then-a-crab-has-been-gnawing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Touring around the world, I think there's no single country where we haven't eaten chili crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jisoo/touring-around-the-world-i-think-there-s-no-single-country-where-we/) [Jisoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jisoo/) > [I love king crab a lot. I love good Mexican food, good tacos, and chile rellenos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-chestnut/i-love-king-crab-a-lot-i-love-good-mexican-food-good-tacos-and-chile/) [Joey Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-chestnut/) > [“...be as fast as Usain Bolt, the winner is the winner, even if he crawls like a crab, his destiny is unshakable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/be-as-fast-as-usain-bolt-the-winner-is-the-winner-even-if-he-crawls/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [You cannot teach a crab to walk straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-cannot-teach-a-crab-to-walk-straight/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“I am a crab. I am thinking crabby thoughts. I am tightening my grip on this rock with my big red pincers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/i-am-a-crab-i-am-thinking-crabby-thoughts-i-am-tightening-my-grip-on/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) > [Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That's the way the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/have-you-ever-watched-a-crab-on-the-shore-crawling-backward-in-search/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by Robert Lowell > [“Naval officers were not mother's sort; very few people were her sort in those days, and that was her trouble - a very authentic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/naval-officers-were-not-mother-s-sort-very-few-people-were-her-sort/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“Then morning comes, saying, "This was a night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/then-morning-comes-saying-this-was-a-night/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“The English departments were clogged with worthy but outworn and backwardlooking scholars whose tastes in the moderns were most often superficial, random, and vulgar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/the-english-departments-were-clogged-with-worthy-but-outworn-and/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [It's the light of the oncoming train.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/it-s-the-light-of-the-oncoming-train/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“Sleeper in the Valley" The river sings and cuts a hole in the meadow, madly hooking white tatters on the rushes. light escalades the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/sleeper-in-the-valley-the-river-sings-and-cuts-a-hole-in-the-meadow/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“Reading Myself" Like thousands I took just pride and more than just, struck matches that brought my blood to a boil; I memorized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/reading-myself-like-thousands-i-took-just-pride-and-more-than-just/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“We are poor passing facts. warned by that to give each figure in the photograph his living name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/we-are-poor-passing-facts-warned-by-that-to-give-each-figure-in-the/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“Those blessèd structures, plot and rhyme— why are they no help to me now I want to make something imagined, not recalled?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/those-bless-d-structures-plot-and-rhyme-why-are-they-no-help-to-me/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [It's a completely powerful and serious book, as good as anything in prose or poetry written by a 'beat' writer, and one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/it-s-a-completely-powerful-and-serious-book-as-good-as-anything-in/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [Life begins to happen. My hoppped up husband drops his home disputes, and hits the streets to cruise for prostitutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/life-begins-to-happen-my-hoppped-up-husband-drops-his-home-disputes/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“The slick bare tar, the same suburban station.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/the-slick-bare-tar-the-same-suburban-station/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“Things last, but sometimes for days here only children seem fit to handle children, and there is no utility or inspiration in the wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/things-last-but-sometimes-for-days-here-only-children-seem-fit-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [“This is the departure strip, the dream-road. Whoever built it left numbers, words and arrows. He had to leave in a hurry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/this-is-the-departure-strip-the-dream-road-whoever-built-it-left/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) [Explore all 96 Robert Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) ## More Crab quotes > [“A steaming plate appeared in front of Lex- the crab wontons, nestled in a lettuce leaf. Blond deep-fried dumplings. Maybe she'd walk out without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camy-tang/a-steaming-plate-appeared-in-front-of-lex-the-crab-wontons-nestled-in/) [Camy Tang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camy-tang/) > [“I am a crab. I am thinking crabby thoughts. I am tightening my grip on this rock with my big red pincers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yahtzee-croshaw/i-am-a-crab-i-am-thinking-crabby-thoughts-i-am-tightening-my-grip-on/) [Yahtzee Croshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yahtzee-croshaw/) > [You cannot teach a crab to walk straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-cannot-teach-a-crab-to-walk-straight/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“...be as fast as Usain Bolt, the winner is the winner, even if he crawls like a crab, his destiny is unshakable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/be-as-fast-as-usain-bolt-the-winner-is-the-winner-even-if-he-crawls/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I love king crab a lot. I love good Mexican food, good tacos, and chile rellenos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-chestnut/i-love-king-crab-a-lot-i-love-good-mexican-food-good-tacos-and-chile/) [Joey Chestnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-chestnut/) > [Touring around the world, I think there's no single country where we haven't eaten chili crab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jisoo/touring-around-the-world-i-think-there-s-no-single-country-where-we/) [Jisoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jisoo/) > [“But that was a long time ago and since then a crab has been gnawing at my vitals. All this began in the Metro…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/but-that-was-a-long-time-ago-and-since-then-a-crab-has-been-gnawing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I never watch MTV. I don't have time to watch TV. And when I do, I'm watching the Discovery Channel. 'Deadliest Catch: Crab Fishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-schroeder/i-never-watch-mtv-i-don-t-have-time-to-watch-tv-and-when-i-do-i-m/) [Carly Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-schroeder/) > [Sweet, delicious Dungeness crab is always a treat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/sweet-delicious-dungeness-crab-is-always-a-treat/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [Crab meat is surprisingly sweet in its purest form, which is why it is often pepped up with zippy chilli and lifted with citrus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/crab-meat-is-surprisingly-sweet-in-its-purest-form-which-is-why-it-is/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [It's always a good idea to chill your crab cake mixture for a few hours, or even overnight, before frying because they'll hold together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/it-s-always-a-good-idea-to-chill-your-crab-cake-mixture-for-a-few/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [While you can find zucchini in markets in most places year-round, allowing you to make everything from breakfast dishes like zucchini and onion frittatas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/while-you-can-find-zucchini-in-markets-in-most-places-year-round/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [As a boy I was a hermit crab, but I soon came out of my shell. Now I am a pincer crab, and soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/as-a-boy-i-was-a-hermit-crab-but-i-soon-came-out-of-my-shell-now-i-am/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Wild garlic and crab is a revelatory pairing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/wild-garlic-and-crab-is-a-revelatory-pairing/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That's the way the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/have-you-ever-watched-a-crab-on-the-shore-crawling-backward-in-search/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) [Browse all 63 Crab quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crab/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“... you trip and lance Your finger at a crab. It strikes. You rub It inch-meal to a bilge of shell. 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