His poem refers to human "cargoes," which is why John put the word "cargoes" in parentheses; being that cargoes are supposed to be of material nature, and not to transport human beings - they were transported into enslavement.
The contrast of the beauty of Jerwusalem s gifts provide the sharp bitter contrast with the sad, cold portrayal of that cargo which captured the tribe of Judah: their bodies suffered the dirty deadful voyage of filth and cold evil suffering - fit for pigs - their dark bodies subjected to the cold, worthless metal weapon material used against them & of dirty minds of British coaster.
thank you for this reading, that brought a memory reaching back in time; of performing this poem: as part of a choral verse competition.
I was about 10 years living in an industrial/mining town.; And had another clear memory, of the instructions from our tutor [A Masefield fan and it was 1950's.]..
That specifically was brought back too by your admission to being a list junky. So I was wondering, while you were in the mid-part of your congenial presentation, whether you would again have difficulty with the list idea.
And forget about the fact that he, the poet, experienced all of those things, and we had to express the wonder of his discovery of each thing:.and how it was all because of the people who rode the cargo ships with the materials of change... We lads had that chapter with the girls wailing in the background, and we stamped our feet in emphasis of the cold dark phrasing you described... all back in circa 1956 when I was 10... Thank you.
Of course as ten year olds our imaginations were alive and well.... It wasn't just a list, our tutor insisted it was a "magical confection of delights..."
Edward Said might have had a lot to say about the Orientalism in this poem, it's a poem as a Brit I read at school, and probably learnt - it's not purely descriptive tho, because it's imaginary cargoes isn't it? - list poems always choose evocative things, evocation can be of course undercut with the 'mundane' to give a sense of shock. - there's a sense that the ancient vessels are beautiful and exotic, compared to the British coal boat, but in fact the ancient vessels were as you point out rowed by slaves and no doubt filthy as the coal boat. Masefield deliberately contrasts this, and that's the interesting thing, that in fact perhaps it's knowing of that difference. or was it purely Masefield's fantasy of exoticism. because one could see it as pointing out that 'the age of exploration' (the age of genocide?) was only as glamorous as a tyne vessel carrying coal. I suspect Masefield didn't mean to point it out that, or he probably wouldn't have been our poet laureate at that time. but it's interesting isn't it, that all the ships are from empires. empires always have to use violence to keep their rule. and take stuff from the bits of earth they have 'secured'. in fact as a young man the British empire was at it's apex culturally - Empire day started in the thirties I think? like many institutions the rot has already set in by the time the apex is reached - see decline and fall. ; ) coal ran the empire, it ran industry, it was called black gold. the first stanzas are fantasy the last is reality.
His poem refers to human "cargoes," which is why John put the word "cargoes" in parentheses; being that cargoes are supposed to be of material nature, and not to transport human beings - they were transported into enslavement.
The contrast of the beauty of Jerwusalem s gifts provide the sharp bitter contrast with the sad, cold portrayal of that cargo which captured the tribe of Judah: their bodies suffered the dirty deadful voyage of filth and cold evil suffering - fit for pigs - their dark bodies subjected to the cold, worthless metal weapon material used against them & of dirty minds of British coaster.
thank you for this reading, that brought a memory reaching back in time; of performing this poem: as part of a choral verse competition.
I was about 10 years living in an industrial/mining town.; And had another clear memory, of the instructions from our tutor [A Masefield fan and it was 1950's.]..
That specifically was brought back too by your admission to being a list junky. So I was wondering, while you were in the mid-part of your congenial presentation, whether you would again have difficulty with the list idea.
And forget about the fact that he, the poet, experienced all of those things, and we had to express the wonder of his discovery of each thing:.and how it was all because of the people who rode the cargo ships with the materials of change... We lads had that chapter with the girls wailing in the background, and we stamped our feet in emphasis of the cold dark phrasing you described... all back in circa 1956 when I was 10... Thank you.
Of course as ten year olds our imaginations were alive and well.... It wasn't just a list, our tutor insisted it was a "magical confection of delights..."
Edward Said might have had a lot to say about the Orientalism in this poem, it's a poem as a Brit I read at school, and probably learnt - it's not purely descriptive tho, because it's imaginary cargoes isn't it? - list poems always choose evocative things, evocation can be of course undercut with the 'mundane' to give a sense of shock. - there's a sense that the ancient vessels are beautiful and exotic, compared to the British coal boat, but in fact the ancient vessels were as you point out rowed by slaves and no doubt filthy as the coal boat. Masefield deliberately contrasts this, and that's the interesting thing, that in fact perhaps it's knowing of that difference. or was it purely Masefield's fantasy of exoticism. because one could see it as pointing out that 'the age of exploration' (the age of genocide?) was only as glamorous as a tyne vessel carrying coal. I suspect Masefield didn't mean to point it out that, or he probably wouldn't have been our poet laureate at that time. but it's interesting isn't it, that all the ships are from empires. empires always have to use violence to keep their rule. and take stuff from the bits of earth they have 'secured'. in fact as a young man the British empire was at it's apex culturally - Empire day started in the thirties I think? like many institutions the rot has already set in by the time the apex is reached - see decline and fall. ; ) coal ran the empire, it ran industry, it was called black gold. the first stanzas are fantasy the last is reality.