Not Waving but Drowning Not Waving but Drowning "Not Waving but Drowning" is a poem by the British poet Stevie Smith. It was published in 1957 as part of a collection of the same title. The most famous of Smith's poems, it gives an account of a drowned man whose distressed thrashing in the water had been mistaken for waving. The poem was accompanied by one of Smith's drawings, as was common in her work. The poem's personal significance has been the topic of several pieces of literary criticism because Smith was treated for psychological problems. She contemplated suicide at the age of eight
Not Waving but Drowning experience of Indian refugees during their arrest and detention by the harbour police in Zeebruges, Belgium. Composer Nina C. Young set the poem in a piece scored for solo viola, piano, and mixed choir. English experimental post-punk band This Heat paraphrase the title and theme of the poem in their song "Not Waving" off of their 1979 self-titled debut. Canadian filmmaker Lindsay McIntyre made a film in 2005 called "Not Waving But Drowning" wherein a character reflects on the poem, its origins and meaning. Filmmaker Devyn Waitt wrote and directed a film called "Not Waving But Drowning" that stars Adam