Titanic Poetry

[Shelley Dziedzic]

There have been so many wonderful poems on nautical themes from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner to Wreck of the Hesperus. Many may be familiar with Thomas Hardy's Convergence of the Twain- Lines on the Loss of the Titanic- it is a favorite of mine- an eloquent portrait of her as she lies beneath the sea and food for the soul.If you know of other poems, recent or old, I would like to know them.

The Convergence of the Twain

In the solitude of the sea
Deep from human vanity
And the Pride of life that planned her, stilly couches she.

Steel chambers, late in pyres
Of her salamandrine fires,
Cold currents thrid,and turn to rhythmic tidal lyres.

Over the mirrors meant
To glass the opulent
The sea-worm crawls-grotesque,slimed,dumb,indifferent.

Jewels in joy designed
To ravish the sensuous mind
Lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind.

Dim moon-eyed fishes near
Gaze at the gilded gear
And query:"What does this vaingloriousness down here?"

Well: while this fashioning
This creature of cleaving wing,
The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything.

Prepared a sinister mate
For her-so gaily great
A Shape of Ice for the time dissociate.

And as the smart ship grew
In stature, shape and hue,
In shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too

Alien they semed to be!
No mortal eye could see
The intimate welding of their later history.

Or sign that they were bent
By paths coincident
On being anon twin halves of one august event.

Till the Spinner of the Years
Said "Now!" And each one hears
And consummation comes, and jars two hemispheres.


*In mythology the salamander had the mystical power to escape from the flames unscathed. In fact the real creature exudes a film on its skin when exposed to fire and this affords it some protection - metaphorically it means indestructible- a fitting choice for the unsinkable Titanic. Victorians frequently showed a salamander on their fireplace screens- Lizzie Borden had one put on her fireplace fender.

 

[Tracey McIntire]

Hi again Shelley!

I'm so glad you posted this. It is my favorite Titanic poem. You can find others in the book "Titanica" (I believe it is by Steven Biel). I also just purchased a book called "The Titanic Reader" that reproduces many of the writings about Titanic. I haven't read it yet but a quick perusal did show it contained some poems.

On another note (and you can e-mail me privately on this if you like at [email protected])--you seem to have a great knowledge of past issues of "Voyage." Charles Haas had told me of an early issue that supposedly documented all the commemorative sheet music that was published. I have a small collection and would love a complete list. He couldn't remember the number of that issue. Do you perhaps have it?

Thanks so much!

Sincerely,
Tracey McIntire

 

[Mike Poirier]

Hi Tracey
I do remember Voyage in it's early years inserted a flyer listing all the various Titanic sheet music. It was compiled by an elderly gentleman from New York named Soloman Goodman. I'll see if I can dig it up.

 

[Tracey McIntire]

Thanks Michael--that would be GREAT! If you do find it I would be ever so grateful if you could e-mail it to me at my address posted above. You've just made my day!

Tracey McIntire

 

[Inger Sheil]

I'm rather partial to the Duncan Millward poem that appeared in local newspaper coverage alongside the story about the presentation of commemorative items to Harold Lowe. As poetry it is execrable, as are so many verse outpourings in response to a notable event (it happens to this day - I noted it as recently as the death of the Princess of Wales. The Titanic produced some dreadful, if heartfelt, poetry). However, it is still fascinating as an indicator of how the people of Barmouth responded to their local hero:


To Harold G Lowe

I.
Pattern to your sex and country
Noble-hearted, kind and brave,
Willing to assist the needy,
In distress, alert to save.

II.
From the jaws of death God saved thee,
Answered all our anxious prayers.
May He from care and danger
Keep thee free in future years.

III.
So wear thou, now, this crown of love.
Neat-woven for they brow
By hearts that beat with gratitude
And love thee truly now.

One of my research collaborators found a deeply religious - and rather moving - poem dedicated to James Moody. It touched on the ever popular themes of youth, early death, and heroic self-sacrifice, choosing as a tag 'he saveth others, himself he could not save'. The writer was inspired by a vague (and incorrect) account that had Moody standing beside Captain Smith until the order 'every man for himself, and God for us all' was given. As we now know, he took a rather more proactive role. The poem remains apt, however.

Inger

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

Shelley, Inger, and the gang,

Some of you are aware of the following but those who aren't may be interested in this poem by novelist Hall Caine. Called "The Titanic" it was set to the tune of "O God, Our Help in Ages Past" for the huge memorial service held at the City Temple in London in 1912, honoring those lost in the disaster:

THE TITANIC.

Lord of the everlasting hills,
God of the bloundless sea,
Help us through all the shocks of fate
To keep our faith in thee.

When nature's unrelenting arm
Sweeps us like withes away,
Maker of man, be thou our stength
And our eternal stay.

When blind insenate heartless force
Puts out our passing breath,
Make us to see thy guiding light
In darkness and in death.

Beneath the roll of soundless waves,
Our best and bravest lie,
Give us to feel their spirits live
Immortal in the sky.

We are thy children frail and small
Formed of the lovely sod;
Comfort our bruised and bleeding souls,
Father and Lord and God.

Hall Caine is one of those Victorian writers who like Marie Corelli was very popular but now forgotten. Much of his work appears stilted today but this poem stands out as artistry to me. It may be flowery to some but it moves me whenever I read it.

Randy

 

[Randy Bryan Bigham]

"BLOUNDLESS" - that was a nice touch, huh? Oh the mishaps of the keyboard...

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Those are all new to me-thanks-song lyrics could be perhaps lumped in here. I have a small collection of Titanic sheet music. In the good old days it could be had for 4-12$ -now I can only guess. My Sweetheart Went Down With the Ship was one of the most easily located,(aqua blue cover) and the lyrics sound ridiculous by today's standard. On that '96 cruise a Russian pianist, a lawyer, a data processor and I commandeered the lounge and held an impromptu concert of all the Titanic 1912 tunes we had music for -for only 3 reheasals- we weren't too bad. Of course we had to sing it straight because it was meant to be serious, but it was sure tough keeping a straight face on:
Gone but not forgotten
Though the big ship rolled and dipped.
He went to sleep in the ocean deep
My sweetheart, went down with the ship-

Apparently this was a popular one- with the so called "tearjerker" genre of the time being in much demand. We also did a chorus of Wreck of the Titanic , Edwina Mackenzie's favorite-"Pull for the Shore " and "The Band Played Nearer My God To Thee..Just As The Ship Went Down"(purple cover with black memorial wreath.And of course, Alexander's Ragtime Band which brought down the house. Am not planning to quit my day job however.

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Barbara Stanwyck was in her finest minute reciting the immortal lines of A.E. Housman in TITANIC:

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say.
"Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free."
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
"The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain.

'Tis paid for with sighs a-plenty
And sold for endless rue."
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true.

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Tomorrow is Dad's memorial service and this is all I plan to say. I saw it first on the back of a Commutator at the death of Bill Tantum-THS president. I think it's just all a sea-going man should want- Tennyson-

CROSSING THE BAR
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

 

[Maureen Zottoli]

Your father will have a huge smile on his face as he crosses the bar while in the background all he hears is this being recited by his special morning star!
Peace to you Shelley!
Maureen.

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Alan Parson's Group recorded a beautiful song back in the 70's- It was a one-hit wonder and the lyrics (more of which I wish I could recall) I thought would make a wonderful Titanic background score as the ship steams out of Southampton- Posssibly called "Time" .All I can remember are bits- anybody antediluvian enough to dredge this one up?
Time- is like a river
To the Sea, to the sea
And they're gone forever, gone forever, etc.
and a verse which begins "Good-bye my love.."

It is an absolute heartbreaker and I cry buckets when I think of it.

 

[Fiona Nitschke]

Hello Shelley,

Antediluvian? Moi? This is embarrassing (and if you ever mention this to anyone I shall have to ask Cook to pop around and break your windows) but I believe the fragment you are referring to is:

Time (from The Turn of a Friendly Card)

Time, flowing like a river​

Time, beckoning me​

Who knows if we shall ever meet again​

If ever​

But time​

Keeps flowing like a river​

To the sea​

​

Goodbye my love, Maybe for forever​

Goodbye my love, The tide waits for me​

Who knows when we shall meet again​

If ever​

But time​

Keeps flowing like a river (on and on)​

To the sea, to the sea​

​

Till it's gone forever​

Gone forever​

Gone forevermore​

​

Goodbye my friends, Maybe for forever​

Goodbye my friends, stars wait for me​

Who knows when we shall meet again​

If ever​

But time​

Keeps flowing like a river (on and on)​

To the sea, to the sea​

​

Till it's gone forever​

Gone forever​

Gone forevermore​

And how do I know this you ask? And well you might! I freely admit to supplementing my dodgy memory with reference to The Psychobabble Web Pages, home of the Alan Parsons Project mailing list.

I am not now and never have been a member of the APP mailing list

but will have to disagree with you on APP being a 'one hit wonder' - think Eye in the Sky just for starters. Oh, the shame of it all...

Cheers, F

 

[Shelley Dziedzic]

Well bless your heart! The information here at our disposal IS mind-boggling. Why aren't we running things at the Pentagon? Thanks- somewhere in my dusty collection of '45's in the cellar, I know I have this one. (ah, the days of vinyl and RECORD players- I still remember calling them Victrolas). So pop this one on your turntable , put on that old Blackhawk footage of OLYMPIC pulling out of Southampton and reach for the tissue box.

 

[M.A.S.]

Tomorrow is Dad's memorial service and this is all I plan to say. I saw it first on the back of a Commutator at the death of Bill Tantum-THS president. I think it's just all a sea-going man should want- Tennyson-

CROSSING THE BAR
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

I first read this moving poem on the last page of Nearer My God to Thee: Story of the Wreck of the Titanic -- The Ocean's Greatest Disaster. (Written in 1912).