Class 7 :: English Literature :: The North Ship by Philip Larkin

The North Ship

 by Philip Larkin

The Poem:

 "I saw three ships go sailing by,

  Over the sea, the lifting sea,

  And the wind rose in the morning sky,

  And one was rigged for a long journey.

  The first ship turned towards the west,

  Over the sea, the running sea,

  And by the wind was all possessed

  And carried to a rich country.

  The second ship turned towards the east,

  Over the sea, the quaking sea,

  And the wind hunted it like a beast

  To anchor in captivity.

  The third ship drove towards the north,

  Over the sea, the darkening sea,

  But no breath of wind came forth,

  And the decks shone frostily.

  The northern sky rose high and black

  Over the proud unfruitful sea,

  East and west the ships came back

  Happily of unhappy:

  But the third went wide and far

  Into an unforgiving sea

  Under a fire-spilling star,

  And it was rigged for a long journey."

The Summary of the Poem:

In the first para, the poet says of three ships which are floating on the sea. They are getting equipped to sail over the sea as soon as the wind rises in the morning.

The first ship turns towards the west direction over the running sea. It gets the favourable wind and tide to reach a rich country.

The second ship turns towards the east direction over the trembling sea. It gets caught by the wild wind like a beast surrounds its prey. It has nothing but to be anchored in captivity.

The third ship goes on towards the dark north. It has no breath of wind or favourable tide to proceed forward. It has got all the unfavourable things in its voyage along with its frostily shone decks.

The north sky rises with high and black cloud increasing the misfortune of the third ship. Both the ships from west and east return happily and unhappily because of the foreboding danger.

But the third ship goes on the hostile sea as an untiring and daring hero ignoring all the forthcoming adventures of the unforgiving sea under a fire-spilling star. It is rigged for long journey. It has more to go and more to explore.

COMPREHENSION

1. Answer the following questions.

a. Draw a table in your book like the one below. It is a good idea to draw the column headings and fill in you answers for the first row before moving on the next one. Your answers should be in note form but with enough detail for you to use them later on.

=

Ship	Where did it go?	What were the conditions at sea?	What happened to the ship?	Do you have any questions?
First	‘turned towards the west’   ‘to a rich country’	Windy: ‘the running sea’, ‘wind’   Wild: ‘possessed’ by the wind	Came back from ‘a rich country’ ‘happily or unhappily’	Which country?     Happily?
Second	‘turned towards the east’   ‘to anchor in captivity’	Windy: ‘the quaking sea’, ‘wind’   Wild: ‘wind hunted it like a beast’	‘anchor in captivity’   ‘happily or unhappily’	How did it return if anchored and captivated?
Third	‘drove towards the north’   ‘for a long journey’	Dark: ‘the darkening sea’, ‘no breath of wind came forth’   Hostile: ‘an unforgiving sea’, ‘under a fire-spilling star’	‘went wide and far’         ‘for a long journey’	Where did it reach?       Did it return ever?

b. The wind seems to help the first ship because it 'carried' it to a rich country. What does the wind do to the second ship? How would you describe its actions?

= The second ship turns towards the east direction over the trembling sea. It gets caught by the wild wind like a beast surrounds its prey. It has nothing but to be anchored in captivity.

c. How is 'the north' described in the fourth and fifth stanzas? What impression does the description create?

= The north sky rises with high and black cloud increasing the misfortune of the third ship. Both the ships from west and east return happily and unhappily because of the foreboding danger.

But the third ship goes on the hostile sea as an untiring and daring hero ignoring all the forthcoming adventures of the unforgiving sea under a fire-spilling star. It is rigged for long journey. It has more to go and more to explore.

2. Talk about these questions with a partner or as a class and write down your own answers.

a. Who do you think the narrator is?

= I think the narrator is a light-house keeper of the sea shore.

b. Where do you think the narrator is?

= I think the narrator is high up on the watch-tower.

c. How does the third ship go 'wide and far' if there is 'no breath of wind' to sail with?

= There is 'no breath of wind' to sail with, yet the third ship go 'wind and far'. It is depending on its strong and brave oars. It has the confidence and audacity of triumphing the odd and invincible.

3. Answer the following questions with reference to context.

a. "Over the sea, the quaking sea,

      And the wind hunted it like a beast..."

i. What is referred to as the 'it' that is being hunted?

= The second ship is referred to as the 'it' that is being hunted.

ii. What emotion is conveyed by the image of a 'quaking sea'?

= The image of a 'quaking sea' conveys an adventurous and thrilling emotion. It gives a mixture of joy and the fear of the unknown.

iii. Which of the three statements best explains the presentation of the wind in these lines?

Explain your choice.

❐ The wind is presented as scared and quiet. [ ]

❐ The wind is presented as frightening and violent. [ ]

❐ The wind is presented as loud and hungry. [✓]

= The whirl wind surrounded the second ship like a hungry beast captivates its prey. Like a long unfed beast, the wind is wild and full of aggression.

These questions are more difficult. Discuss your ideas before answering them.

b. "Into an unforgiving sea

      Under a fire-spelling star..."

i. Why might the sea seem 'unforgiving'?

= The north sky rises with high and black cloud increasing the misfortune of the third ship. The sea is hostile and furious. It is all ready to attack and purr and tear down the ship.

ii. What do you think 'a fire-spilling star' is? Explain your ideas.

= 'A fire-spilling star' is possibly a poetic description of a comet or a dragon. The comets spills fire in its tail. The dragons spread fire through its mouth to attack its prey. Likewise the sky and the sea were all unfavourable for the ship to go forward in its voyage.

UNDERSTANDING POETRY

4. Is there a rhyming pattern in this poem? What is it?

= Yes, there is a rhyming patter in this poem.

It is abab.

5. Notice that the poet has used the word 'sea' as the last word of the second line of every stanza. Which words does the poet rhyme with 'sea'?

= The poet rhymes with 'sea' the following words -

sea - journey;

sea - country;

sea - captivity;

sea - frostily;

sea - unhappily;

sea - journey;

6. Poets often repeat words to highlight their importance to the message or meaning of a poem. Which words and phrases are repeated in the poem?

= The poet has repeated the phrase 'over the sea' in the second line of the first, second, third and fourth stanza. He has also repeated the phrase 'for a long journey' in the last line of the first and the last stanza. He also repeated the words 'and the wind' in the third lines of the first and the third stanza.

About the Poet:

Philip Larkin (1922-1985) was an English poet, music critic and novelist who is still very popular and respected. His poems are highly structured, yet written in plain, straightforward language. This poem is a bit like the beginning of a story. It contains strong images but it also raises questions in the reader's mind.