The Anathemata
Keel, Ram, Stauros (continued)
Ship’s master:
before him, in the waist and before it
the darling men.
Cheerily, cheerilya
with land to leeward
known-land, known-shore, home-shore
home-light.
Cheerly, cheerly men ,
’gin to work the ropes.
And she bears up for it
riding her turning shadow.
The incurving aphlastonb lanterns high above him
behind him
the plank-built walls converge
to apse his leaning nave.
To his left elbow
the helmsman
is quite immobile now
by whose stanced feet
coiled on the drying hemp-coil
with one eye open.
the still ship’s cat
tillers, just perceptibly
her tip of tail.
He inclines himself out-board
and to her-ward.1
David Jones notes
1 i.e. toward the figure of Athene above the harbour to starboard. See p. 96 above.
additional notes
a Cf. Sea shanty Nancy Dawson (in a polite version)
O Nancy Dawson, Hio!
Cheer’ly man;
She’s got a notion Hio-o!Refrain:
Cheer’ly man;
For our old bo’sun, Hio!
Cheer’ly man, O!
Hauley, Hio-o!
Cheer’ly man.
b aphlaston: the upward-curving decorated poop on the aft superstructure, rather like an apse or rounded projection. (nave = ship, though the nave of a church is also suggested).
comments
Finally, we pass on to the ship’s master, about to end his passage home.