Explain the theme of Thomas Hardy's poem "The Convergence of the Twain."

In the poem "The Convergence of the Twain," Hardy
describes the sinking of the Titanic by first describing the ship at the bottom of the
ocean.  Wandering fish peering into the ruins ask:

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What does this vaingloriousness  down
here?

This question is the
key to the theme.  Preceding this question is a description of the ship's opulence--its
jewels and mirrors. The ship was the "Pride of Life."T he poem answers the question
posed by the fish with a description of the iceberg slowly moving to its meeting with
the gleaming Titanic.  This meeting is described as a marriage of sorts, with two
opposing forces colliding.  Fate, or "The Immanent Will" created this meeting that shows
the fallibility of man. The best that man can devise cannot match the power of nature,
but it is man's vanity that makes him think that he is capable of controlling nature,
that he is invincible.  This vain struggle of man to compete against nature forms the
theme of the poem.