The fish ask 'What does this vaingloriousness down here' and the word 'vaingloriousness' (empty/pointless glory and sumptuousness) echoes the 'human vanity' and 'Pride of Life' of the first verse, the pride that thought to build the unsinkable Titanic.

What does the title of the Convergence of the Twain mean?

One of the most controversial tragedies in the 20th century is the sinking of the ocean liner Titanic in April 1912. It inspired Thomas Hardy to write “The Convergence of the Twain”. ... The title indicates that Hardy tries to compare the tragedy to a meeting of the two, in this case the iceberg and Titanic.

Who wrote the convergence of Twain?

One of the most renowned poets and novelists in English literary history, Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in the English village of Higher Bockhampton in the county of Dorset.