D'YE MIND, OLD PAL?

by M.C. Newberry

Wednesday 8th June 2016 3:10 pm

A recent emailed exchange about poems and sailing ships brought to mind the following.

The author is unknown but how convincingly they evoke a square rigger in its element.

D'ye mind the day

When we squared away

And ran her east by south,

And she trampled down big Horn Seas

With a roaring bone in her mouth?

While the best hands fought the bucking wheel

And dared not look behind

At the growling grey beards in her wake,

D'ye mind, old pal? D'ye mind?

...........................................................................

(NB - "mind" = recall/remember)

Comments

M.C. Newberry

Sat 14th May 2022 22:58

My own knowledge of these lines came from their inclusion
in a fine hardback book about square-riggers published by a publisher based on the south coast of England. Accurate details now
elude me due to the passage pf time since then. Perhaps an
online search for the publisher (in Brighton I recall) might
produce various "leads" towards tracing more information.
I also remember (more or less) other lines in the same weighty beautifully produced volume - maybe titled "The Last of The
Square Riggers".
"You can keep yer steamboat racin'
But gimme me the run in a gale
Of a well-geared able clipper
Wot is driven by snow-white sail.
For I've known the thrill of a pilin' sea
And the sky in a snow-flecked gown
And fifteen knots in her windbag
When she's running her easting down.
Good luck!!!
MC

Fred Tromp

Tue 10th May 2022 05:04

I have seen this poem attributed to Canadian journalist, photographer, historian and novelist, Frederick William Wallace, December 11, 1886 – July 15, 1958 (Wikipedia has an entry on him). I have been trying for some time to confirm that and, more particularly, the exact original wording of it by Wallace, as there are a number of (slight) variations of the poem around. One of my searches landed me on this forum. If any of you could point me to some "poetry" search tools I would be most grateful!
By way of background, I first sighted one version of this poem in April 2002 on the gravestone of a Falkland Islands mariner, Cecil Bertrand, February 20, 1909 - December 9, 1985, in Stanley cemetery. The square rigged ship I was crewing on at that time had just weathered a Force 10 gale on its way from rounding Cape Horn (west to east) on a voyage from Australia/New Zealand to Europe with a crew of 56. The ship is a true (wooden) replica of Her Majesty's Bark (HMB) Endeavour on which Captain James Cook had made voyages of discovery to the Pacific and Australia in the 1770s, and is now owned and operated by the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia.

M.C. Newberry

Thu 9th Jun 2016 16:36

Harry - an interesting observation. It certainly seems
likely that both had first hand knowledge of the days of
sail on the high seas, and used them to inspire their lines.

Harry O'Neill

Wed 8th Jun 2016 21:10

M.C.
Echoes of Masefield,

If you wish to post a comment you must login.

D'YE MIND, OLD PAL?

Comments

Please consider supporting us