The poetry of the sea.

21.3.23.

Dear lover of words and thoughts, ideas, imagination and truth,

Today, March 21, is World Poetry Day. Tomorrow is World Water Day, and Thursday is World Meteorological Day.

I’ve been looking for a poem that connects with water and weather, a poem that includes the sea.

The sea is powerful poetry, a metaphor for all that we are, and everything we do. It is journey, discovery, life, death, revenge, love, loss. For the spiritual, the sea is a reminder of their Lord who offers many favours from the water. The sea is also science, reality, influencing rainfall and weather.

Thinking about all of this, I rustled through the cupboards in my mind and came upon The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (text of 1834).

YouTube has some great audio of this. My favourite is the reading by Richard Burton.

Whenever I read this poem, I think of what we’re doing to our environment today…and the dire consequences:

“And the good south wind still blew behind,

But no sweet bird did follow,

Nor any day for food or play

Came to the mariner's hollo!

And I had done a hellish thing,

And it would work 'em woe:

For all averred, I had killed the bird

That made the breeze to blow.

Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,

That made the breeze to blow!

Nor dim nor red, like God's own head,

The glorious Sun uprist:

Then all averred, I had killed the bird

That brought the fog and mist.

'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay,

That bring the fog and mist.

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,

The furrow followed free;

We were the first that ever burst

Into that silent sea.

Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,

'Twas sad as sad could be;

And we did speak only to break

The silence of the sea!

All in a hot and copper sky,

The bloody Sun, at noon,

Right up above the mast did stand,

No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.”