Worth addressing more closely are several layers of feminist thought proposed by the poem “Sea Rose.” Firstly, the poem offers a revolutionary position on feminine sexuality for its time. Through the imagery of the sea rose’s journey, H.D. suggests that neither fertility nor purity gives females their value. The sea rose is worn down, past its prime, and no longer abundant—perhaps a symbol for a woman who does not bear children. The sea rose is also not pure—both in regards to aesthetic perfection, and in regards to innocence. The lack of purity in the sea rose, which the speaker claims is “more precious” than a pure classic rose, may insinuate that women can be sexually adventurous and experienced, or not physically pristine, and still be worthy of veneration and respect. By admiring and valuing the sea rose, H.D.’s speaker imagines a paradigm in which a woman is coveted for more than her beauty, naivety, or ability to reproduce. Given that H.D. suffered a stillbirth before she wrote “Sea Rose,” one could surmise that she longed for a society that acknowledged women as sexual beings without idealizing them as either nurturing mothers or innocent Madonnas. One could also argue that in her rejection of dewy freshness for rugged toughness, H.D. is acknowledging a femininity that operates as androgynous, butch, or otherwise not heteronormative.
Additionally, “Sea Rose” makes a case for wildness, difference, and experience as important traits of female identity that should not be dismissed or discouraged. Within a patriarchal society, men are often lauded for their adventurousness, rugged exterior, singularity, and wisdom. These traits have not historically been viewed as feminine or as acceptable in females. An extreme example of this sexist intolerance is found in the records of the Salem Witch Trials, a series of horrific events in which clever, rebellious, or odd women were labeled as witches and burned at the stake. Although seemingly straightforward, H.D.’s poem responds indirectly to a long line of violent and oppressive events that stem from such gendered expectations. In “Sea Rose,” H.D. is proposing a femininity that is actually “more precious” in its embrace of unruliness, grit, peculiarity, and involvement in the volatile elements of life.
Lastly, “Sea Rose” created a new tone and voice around the floral and the feminine for its time. In this poem, and other flower poems, the speaker portrays the ancient symbol of the woman with a boldness and bareness. There is a marked lack of over-sentimentality that is often found in Victorian descriptions of floral life, and there are not any allusions to sacredness or piousness, which are common associations to the floral in traditional pastoral verse. Even further, a raw, independent eroticism emanates from this revolutionary sea rose. This new erotic identity is a clear departure from the beautiful but conventionally sexual flowers of Georgia O’Keefe, for example, which appear delicate and fertile, and allude to the open receptivity of the female sexual organ.
