Dear Student,
The poet uses the epithet "terribly transient feet" to compare humans and nature. This phrase explains the contrast between the length of human life as compared to that of the sea. Human life is very short-lived, transitory and temporary as compared to the sea which is a symbol of permanence, immortality and eternity. The poet uses the phrase ‘terribly transient feet’ to highlight the temporal nature of human life. The life of a human being is nothing as compared to the life of a sea. The sea has more power as compared to human life since it is static in nature, stable and unlikely to be affected. Its continuance depicts its immortality whereas human merely lives around sixty to seventy years. The sea is an endless entity which survives much more than human life.
Regards
