03-07-2026, 09:06 AM
To see why l.1 seems "wrong" to me, see your current l.15,
In winter when the gifts of gardens wane
If you were talking about the universal blessing of gardens in general, you would write
In winter when the gift of gardens wanes
and not
In winter when the gift of gardens wane
because the subject of the verb "wane" is the gift, not the gardens, so it should be singular. In l.1 "multitude" is singular (not "multitudes") and it, not "vessels" is the subject of the verb "crowds." It looks and sounds funny because the plural "vessels" is closer to "crowds" (singular verb form) than "multitude," but "of vessels" is only a modifier.
"Multitude" also confuses the issue because it can *almost" be used as a collective, like "deer." "A multitude stands ready to fight for their rights" sounds better than "a multitude stands ready to fight for its rights." A case where being right sounds wrong - so probably best avoided! For example, "Multitudes of people stand ready to fight for their rights," which finesses the issue.
(Just felt strong deja vu - have I had this discussion before?)
In winter when the gifts of gardens wane
If you were talking about the universal blessing of gardens in general, you would write
In winter when the gift of gardens wanes
and not
In winter when the gift of gardens wane
because the subject of the verb "wane" is the gift, not the gardens, so it should be singular. In l.1 "multitude" is singular (not "multitudes") and it, not "vessels" is the subject of the verb "crowds." It looks and sounds funny because the plural "vessels" is closer to "crowds" (singular verb form) than "multitude," but "of vessels" is only a modifier.
"Multitude" also confuses the issue because it can *almost" be used as a collective, like "deer." "A multitude stands ready to fight for their rights" sounds better than "a multitude stands ready to fight for its rights." A case where being right sounds wrong - so probably best avoided! For example, "Multitudes of people stand ready to fight for their rights," which finesses the issue.
(Just felt strong deja vu - have I had this discussion before?)
Non-practicing atheist