The correct answer is D. The poet feels that traditional sources of inspiration are ineffective in the modern world
Explanation:
In the poem "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", the author T.S. Eliot explores multiple themes including love, inspiration, and the contrast between the modern world and the past. In the excerpt presented, the author refers to traditional poetry and the inspiration he finds in it by using the mermaids as a symbol, this can be seen in the line "I have heard the mermaids singing each to each" that shows how the mermaids or traditional poetry sing or give ideas to the poet.
However, it seems this inspiration is not as effective as the author expects because in the end, the author and the mermaids "drown". Also, the cause of the traditional poetry drowning is the "human voices" which likely refers to the loss of traditional values in the modern how and the mundanity of it.
