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Poem
July 13, 1786
Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser
Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
Epitaph for a sailor named Jack, employing nautical metaphors to depict his life's trials, prudent navigation through misfortunes, and eventual death from fever, age, and grief.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
Parnassian Spring.
EPITAPH ON A SAILOR.
Free from the storms and gusts of human life:
Free from the quarrels of passion and of strife
Here Jack lies, anchor'd—who has stood the sea
Of ebbing life, and swelling misery:
Tho' poorly rigg'd, prudent eye foresaw,
And took a reef at fortune's quickest flaw,
He luff'd and bore away to please mankind,
But duty urg'd him still to head the wind:
A fever's tempest soon his masts destroy'd;
But jury health a while he still enjoy'd;
Laden with grief, and age, and shatter'd head,
At length he struck, and grounded on his bed:
While in distress, careening, thus he lay,
His final bilge expecting ev'ry day,
Heav'n took his ballast from its dreary hole,
And left his body destitute of soul.
EPITAPH ON A SAILOR.
Free from the storms and gusts of human life:
Free from the quarrels of passion and of strife
Here Jack lies, anchor'd—who has stood the sea
Of ebbing life, and swelling misery:
Tho' poorly rigg'd, prudent eye foresaw,
And took a reef at fortune's quickest flaw,
He luff'd and bore away to please mankind,
But duty urg'd him still to head the wind:
A fever's tempest soon his masts destroy'd;
But jury health a while he still enjoy'd;
Laden with grief, and age, and shatter'd head,
At length he struck, and grounded on his bed:
While in distress, careening, thus he lay,
His final bilge expecting ev'ry day,
Heav'n took his ballast from its dreary hole,
And left his body destitute of soul.
What sub-type of article is it?
Epitaph
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
What keywords are associated?
Epitaph
Sailor
Death
Nautical Metaphors
Life Struggles
Poem Details
Title
Epitaph On A Sailor.
Subject
On A Sailor
Form / Style
Rhymed Couplets
Key Lines
Here Jack Lies, Anchor'd—Who Has Stood The Sea
Of Ebbing Life, And Swelling Misery:
Heav'n Took His Ballast From Its Dreary Hole,
And Left His Body Destitute Of Soul.