The word transient means fleeting/ passing or temporary. It is the opposite of permanent. The ‘feet’ are described with an adjective ‘transient’ to drive home the truth that the impression they make on the sand is transitory. They get washed off by the waves. Everything about life is transient. Single incidents, as well as whole life itself, are transient. Only nature remains as a permanent feature around us. Thus, the poet presents a contrast between human life and the sea. The poem lends itself to multiple interpretations with regard to the transitory nature of life. If the passage of time is one aspect of the transitory nature of life, sudden unexpected occurrences can also indicate how ephemeral everything is. We can have a different reading of the poem here. At one point the children are posing for the photograph holding their aunt’s hand. At another, the sea washes their terribly transient feet. The word terribly makes us wonder whether the children are swept away by the waves of the sea
