The Poem
The
Inchcape Rock by Robert Southey
This ballad effectively
conveys themes of morality and
justice, showcasing Southey's masterful storytelling.
No stir
in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or
sound of their shock,
The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by
the surge's swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
The Sun in heaven was
shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled around,
And there was joyance in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape
Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walked his deck,
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck.
He felt the cheering power
of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover's mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape
float;
Quoth he, "My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I'll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok."
The boat is lowered, the
boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And cut the bell from the Inchcape float.
Down sank the bell with a
gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, "The next who comes to the Rock
Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok."
Sir Ralph the Rover sailed
away,
He scoured the seas for many a day;
And now, grown rich with plundered store,
He steers his course for Scotland's shore.
So thick a haze o'erspreads
the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
On the deck the Rover takes
his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, "It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon."
"Canst hear," said
one, "the breakers roar?
For yonder, methinks, should be the shore.
Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell."
They hear no sound, the
swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,—
"O Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!"
Sir Ralph the Rover tore
his hair;
He cursed himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if, with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hid by the surge's swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
The Sun in heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled around,
And there was joyance in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walked his deck,
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck.
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover's mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape float;
Quoth he, "My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I'll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok."
The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And cut the bell from the Inchcape float.
Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, "The next who comes to the Rock
Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok."
Sir Ralph the Rover sailed away,
He scoured the seas for many a day;
And now, grown rich with plundered store,
He steers his course for Scotland's shore.
So thick a haze o'erspreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, "It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon."
"Canst hear," said one, "the breakers roar?
For yonder, methinks, should be the shore.
Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell."
They hear no sound, the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,—
"O Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!"
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair;
He cursed himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if, with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
Rhyme Scheme: AABB
The poem: The Inchcape Rock paraphrasing
stanzas by stanza
Stanza 1
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Paraphrasing:
The air and sea were completely calm, and
the ship remained motionless. There was no
wind to fill the sails, and the ship’s bottom
(keel) rested steadily on the water.
Stanza 2
Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
Paraphrasing:
The waves gently moved over the Inchcape
Rock without causing any noise or disturbance.
Their rise and fall were so slight that the
warning bell placed on the rock remained silent.
Stanza 3
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
Paraphrasing:
The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed the warning
bell on the Inchcape Rock. It was attached to a
buoy that floated and swung in storms, ringing
out a warning to sailors.
Stanza 4
When the Rock was hid by the surge's swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
Paraphrasing:
When the waves rose and hid the dangerous
rock, sailors could hear the bell’s sound.
It warned them of the hidden danger, and
they were grateful to the Abbot for his
thoughtful act.
Stanza 5
The Sun in heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed as they wheeled around,
And there was joyance in their sound.
Paraphrasing:
The sun shone brightly in the sky, making
the day cheerful. The seabirds flew in
circles, screaming joyfully, adding to
the lively atmosphere.
Stanza 6
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover walked his deck,
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck.
Paraphrasing:
The buoy holding the Inchcape Bell appeared
as a small, dark mark on the green sea. Sir
Ralph the Rover, walking on the ship’s deck,
noticed the buoy and stared at it intently.
Stanza 7
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover's mirth was wickedness.
Paraphrasing:
The pleasant spring weather filled Sir
Ralph with joy, making him whistle and
sing. However, his happiness came from
evil and malicious intentions.
Stanza 8
His eye was on the Inchcape float;
Quoth he, "My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I'll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok."
Paraphrasing:
Sir Ralph focused on the Inchcape buoy
and told his men to lower a boat and
row him to the rock. He planned to
cause trouble for the Abbot by removing
the bell.
Stanza 9
The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And cut the bell from the Inchcape float.
Paraphrasing:
The crew lowered a boat and rowed
toward the Inchcape Rock. When they
arrived, Sir Ralph leaned over the side
and cut the bell free from the buoy.
Stanza 10
Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound,
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, "The next who comes to the Rock
Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok."
Paraphrasing:
The bell sank into the sea with a bubbling
sound as water swirled around it. Sir Ralph
mockingly said that future sailors wouldn’t
thank the Abbot, as there was no longer
a warning bell.
Stanza 11
Sir Ralph the Rover sailed away,
He scoured the seas for many a day;
And now, grown rich with plundered store,
He steers his course for Scotland's shore.
Paraphrasing:
After removing the bell, Sir Ralph left the
area and spent many days looting and
stealing. He became wealthy from his
crimes and eventually set sail back to
Scotland.
Stanza 12
So thick a haze o'erspreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
Paraphrasing:
A thick fog covered the sky, making it
impossible to see the sun. Earlier in the
day, strong winds had blown, but by
evening, the wind had completely stopped.
Stanza 13
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, "It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon."
Paraphrasing:
Sir Ralph stood on the ship’s deck in the
darkness, unable to see any land. He
reassured his crew, saying that the
moonlight would soon make it brighter.
Stanza 14
"Canst hear," said one, "the breakers roar?
For yonder, methinks, should be the shore.
Now, where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape Bell."
Paraphrasing:
A sailor asked if anyone could hear the
sound of waves breaking, which indicated
they were near the shore. He wished for
the guidance of the Inchcape Bell to avoid
the danger.
Stanza 15
They hear no sound, the swell is strong,
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along;
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,—
"O Christ! It is the Inchcape Rock!"
Paraphrasing:
The sailors heard no warning sound as
the waves grew stronger. Even though
the wind had died down, the ship drifted
uncontrollably until it crashed violently
into the Inchcape Rock.
Stanza 16
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair;
He cursed himself in his despair;
The waves rush in on every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
Paraphrasing:
Sir Ralph, filled with regret and despair,
tore at his hair and cursed himself. Water
poured into the ship from all sides, and
It began to sink into the sea.
Stanza 17
But even in his dying fear,
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if, with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
Paraphrasing:
As Sir Ralph faced death, he heard a haunting
sound—a ghostly echo of the Inchcape Bell,
as though the Devil himself was ringing it to toll
his doom.
No comments:
Post a Comment