--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This house has been far out at sea all…" description: "\"This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Flou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png" --- # This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods… ![“This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Floundering black astride and blinding wet Till day rose; then under an orange sky The hills had new places, and wind wielded Blade-light, luminous…” quote by Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png) > “This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Floundering black astride and blinding wet Till day rose; then under an orange sky The hills had new places, and wind wielded Blade-light, luminous black and emerald, Flexing like the lens of a mad eye.” [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem paints a vivid, chaotic night scene where nature's forces dominate, creating a surreal, almost apocalyptic atmosphere. **In simple terms:** Nature overwhelms the night with wild, vivid imagery. Key Takeaway Embrace the wildness of nature. Themes nature chaos surrealism apocalypse imagery Mood intense dramatic reflective Type poetic descriptive lyative When to use this quote - nighttime travel - storm watching - creative writing - visual art - meditation on nature Key Concepts mythic symbolism environmental force visual metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does chaotic nature affect your inner peace? - What emotions arise from vivid night imagery? A Different Perspective The imagery may be too intense for readers seeking calm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Flexing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flexing/) [Floundering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floundering/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [Nobody wanted your dance, Nobody wanted your strange glitter, your floundering Drowning life and your effort to save yourself, Treading water, dancing the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/nobody-wanted-your-dance-nobody-wanted-your-strange-glitter-your/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [His whole being radiates a pure, wild sweetness, flitting through night woods with little melodious cries, on some cryptic errand. There is also an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/his-whole-being-radiates-a-pure-wild-sweetness-flitting-through-night/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“The beeches deep in snow, I walk the dark woods In sorrow, sorrow. Your hand, where is your hand? - In the Snowy Night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz-m-hikmet/the-beeches-deep-in-snow-i-walk-the-dark-woods-in-sorrow-sorrow-your/) [Nâzım Hikmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz-m-hikmet/) > [“transfixed by the forest flying behind us. Every tree passed is another memory coming back to haunt me, like that night Dylan, Tyson, Joey,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-b-nelson/transfixed-by-the-forest-flying-behind-us-every-tree-passed-is/) K.B. Nelson > [“The strangest of our powers Is the courage to live Knowing that we will die, Knowing nothing more true. - In the Snowy Night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naz-m-hikmet/the-strangest-of-our-powers-is-the-courage-to-live-knowing-that-we/) [Nâzım Hikmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naz-m-hikmet/) > [After graduation, I was floundering in L.A., doing stand-up comedy and working in a shoe store in the Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/after-graduation-i-was-floundering-in-l-a-doing-stand-up-comedy-and/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [Ectoplasmic plane? What the devil is that? (Simone) It’s jargon from those of us who are corporeally challenged. It’s the great beyond where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/ectoplasmic-plane-what-the-devil-is-that-simone-it-s-jargon-from/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“You flounder through life, struggling desperately so you won't drown, even though you would float if you'd just relax.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuki-takaya/you-flounder-through-life-struggling-desperately-so-you-won-t-drown/) [Natsuki Takaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuki-takaya/) > [Golf is the Great Mystery. Like some capricous goddess, it bestows its favours with what would appear an almost fat-headed lack of method and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/golf-is-the-great-mystery-like-some-capricous-goddess-it-bestows-its/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [Woman's inaptitude for reasoning has not prevented her from arriving at truth; nor has man's ability to reason prevented him from floundering in absurdity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/woman-s-inaptitude-for-reasoning-has-not-prevented-her-from-arriving/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [America's founding fathers did not intend to take religion out of education. Many of the nation's greatest universities were founded by evangelists and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/america-s-founding-fathers-did-not-intend-to-take-religion-out-of/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Private equity firms aren't necessarily evil by definition. There are many stories of successful turnarounds fueled by private equity, often involving multiple floundering businesses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/private-equity-firms-aren-t-necessarily-evil-by-definition-there-are/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [I foresaw my life unfolding as an interminable stretch of nothingness and so I spent my years on Tinos floundering, feeling like a stand-in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-foresaw-my-life-unfolding-as-an-interminable-stretch-of-nothingness/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [When you're looking at social media, you can tell which people are floundering all over, trying to appeal to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cooper/when-you-re-looking-at-social-media-you-can-tell-which-people-are/) [Alex Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cooper/) > [“The terrible things that happen to us in this life never make any sense when we’re in the middle of them, floundering, no end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/the-terrible-things-that-happen-to-us-in-this-life-never-make-any/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) ## More by Ted Hughes > [The only calibration that counts is how much heart people invest, how much they ignore their fears of being hurt or caught out or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-only-calibration-that-counts-is-how-much-heart-people-invest-how/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [The inmost spirit of poetry, in other words, is at bottom, in every recorded case, the voice of pain – and the physical body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-inmost-spirit-of-poetry-in-other-words-is-at-bottom-in-every/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“I sit in the top of the wood, my eyes closed. Inaction, no falsifying dream Between my hooked head and hooked feet: Or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/i-sit-in-the-top-of-the-wood-my-eyes-closed-inaction-no-falsifying/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel. Over the cage floor the horizons come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-world-rolls-under-the-long-thrust-of-his-heel-over-the-cage-floor/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [But who is stronger than death? Me , evidently .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/but-who-is-stronger-than-death-me-evidently/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [You are who you choose to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/you-are-who-you-choose-to-be/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Applause is the beginning of abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/applause-is-the-beginning-of-abuse/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Stilled legendary depth: It was as deep as England. It held Pike too immense to stir, so immense and old That past nightfall I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/stilled-legendary-depth-it-was-as-deep-as-england-it-held-pike-too/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [As Popa penetrates deeper into his life, with book after book, it begins to look like a Universe passing through a Universe. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/as-popa-penetrates-deeper-into-his-life-with-book-after-book-it/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“I had let it all grow. I had supposed It was all OK. Your life Was a liner I voyaged in. Costly education had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/i-had-let-it-all-grow-i-had-supposed-it-was-all-ok-your-life-was-a/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [He could not stand. It was not That he could not thrive, he was born With everything but the will – That can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/he-could-not-stand-it-was-not-that-he-could-not-thrive-he-was-born/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [“If you're all so peaceful up there, how did you get such greedy and cruel ideas?" The dragon was silent for a long time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/if-you-re-all-so-peaceful-up-there-how-did-you-get-such-greedy-and/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [Do as you like with me. I'm your parcel. I have only our address on me. Open me, or readdress me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/do-as-you-like-with-me-i-m-your-parcel-i-have-only-our-address-on-me/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [The real mystery is this strange need. Why can't we just hide it and shut up? Why do we have to blab? Why do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-real-mystery-is-this-strange-need-why-can-t-we-just-hide-it-and/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) > [With a sudden sharp hot stink of fox, It enters the dark hole of the head. The window is starless still; the clock ticks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/with-a-sudden-sharp-hot-stink-of-fox-it-enters-the-dark-hole-of-the/) [Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) [Explore all 79 Ted Hughes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/) ## More All night quotes > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [I'm neurotic in the sense that I can have a crowd of 300 people cheering you, applauding you, standing O, but one guy come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-white/i-m-neurotic-in-the-sense-that-i-can-have-a-crowd-of-300-people/) [Wayne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-white/) > [ Senator \[Tom\] Cotton has campaigned on wanting to kill Obamacare. He voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act back in January, but he now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/senator-tom-cotton-has-campaigned-on-wanting-to-kill-obamacare-he/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Teenagers complain there's nothing to do, then stay out all night doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-phillips/teenagers-complain-there-s-nothing-to-do-then-stay-out-all-night/) [Bob Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-phillips/) > [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Everyone has seen people dancing all night. But take a man and make him dance for a quarter of an hour without music and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-de-saxe/everyone-has-seen-people-dancing-all-night-but-take-a-man-and-make/) [Maurice de Saxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-de-saxe/) > [Never walk near the bed; to a ghost your ankle is your most vulnerable part-once in bed, you're safe; he may lie around under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/never-walk-near-the-bed-to-a-ghost-your-ankle-is-your-most-vulnerable/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I think I fully commit myself to any role to the extent to which I can. In other words there's some roles that maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-think-i-fully-commit-myself-to-any-role-to-the-extent-to-which-i/) [Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/) > [I memorize my lines and I show up. I think it's just instinctual, and sometimes it's wrong and the director says, "No, do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/i-memorize-my-lines-and-i-show-up-i-think-it-s-just-instinctual-and/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [I feel like a midget with muddy feet had been walking over my tongue all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/i-feel-like-a-midget-with-muddy-feet-had-been-walking-over-my-tongue/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [If I walk into a place, a party, say, and there's a bookshelf, I immediately gravitate toward it. Unless there's a bar. But even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/if-i-walk-into-a-place-a-party-say-and-there-s-a-bookshelf-i/) [Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/) > [When you're doing a play you get to go full speed ahead, all night, in front of an audience. It's a roller-coaster ride, responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick-thomas/when-you-re-doing-a-play-you-get-to-go-full-speed-ahead-all-night-in/) [Sean Patrick Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick-thomas/) > [I'm kinda tired. I was up all night trying to round off infinity. Then I got bored and went out and painted passing lines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-m-kinda-tired-i-was-up-all-night-trying-to-round-off-infinity-then/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I've been thinking of a story from the Old Testament: Moses stood all day and all night with outstretched arms, praying to God for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-scholl/i-ve-been-thinking-of-a-story-from-the-old-testament-moses-stood-all/) [Sophie Scholl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-scholl/) > [Basically Ken is a very gentle, home-loving person. I remember when one of his stick insects had a knee infection. He stayed up all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/basically-ken-is-a-very-gentle-home-loving-person-i-remember-when-one/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) Browse all 335 All night quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds stampeding the fields under the window Floundering black astride and blinding wet Till day rose; then under an orange sky The hills had new places, and wind wielded Blade-light, luminous black and emerald, Flexing like the lens of a mad eye.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ted Hughes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-night-the-woods-crashing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "All night" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-night-the-woods-crashing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/676/ted-hughes-8662_all-night_this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-n_1468364.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This house has been far out at sea all night, The woods crashing through darkness, the booming hills, Winds…” — Ted Hughes", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ted Hughes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This house has been far out...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-night-the-woods-crashing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/this-house-has-been-far-out-at-sea-all-night-the-woods-crashing/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```