Unit 2.3 The Inchcape Rock Robert Southey
Original Poem
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was as still as she could be,
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.
Without either sign or sound of their shock
The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
And over the waves its warning rung.
When the Rock was hit by the surge’s swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous Rock,
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
The Sun in heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyance in their sound.
The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover, walk’d his deck,
And he fix’d his eye on the darker speck.
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the Inchcape float;
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok’.
The boat is lower’d, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And he cut the Bell from the Inchcape float.
Down sunk the bell with a gurgling sound.
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, ‘The next who comes to the Rock
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.’
Sir Ralph the Rover, sail’d away,
He scour’d the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plunder’d store,
He steers his course for Scotland’s shore.
So thick a haze o’erspreads the sky,
They cannot see the Sun on high;
The wind hath blown a gale all day,
At evening it hath died away.
On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, ‘It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.’
‘Canst hear’, said one, ‘the breakers roar?
For methinks we should be near the shore’.
‘Now where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish I could hear the Inchcape Bell’.
They hear no sound, the swell is strong;
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along,
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,-
‘O Christ! it is the Inchcape Rock!’
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair;
He curst himself in his despair;
The waves rush in every side,
The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
But even in his dying fear
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
- Robert Southey
Paraphrase of the Poem
Stanza 01 :
In the first stanza, the post describes the calmness of the sea and sets the natural setting .The Sea was calm and there was no movement in the air that is why the ship stood still.
The sails of the ship were not getting any thrust from the air and were erect. Its keel which is a metallic or wooden piece that offers support to the whole structure of the ship was also steady in the ocean.
Stanza 02 :
The second stanza describes the drowsy / mild sea waves. The ocean waves flowed over the
Inchcape rock very smoothly. The movement was so slow that it could make the Inchcape bell ring. The weaves were not rising up high to hide the dangerous Inchcape Rock and had no power to rock the bell. Therefore, the bell could not make any sound.
Stanza 03 :
The word Abbot means the head monk in a Monastry.The Abbot of Aberbrothok was a spiritual man and he was knowing the danger posed by the submerged rock for the passing ships. A collision between the keel and the rock could make the ship to sink. His intention was to warn the sailors about a possible collision ,so he positioned a large bell a top a buoy and had it anchored to the rock with a chain, During the storms, the seamen could not see the rock as it stayed hidden under the high waves. These waves relentlessly rocked the bell back and forth and the sound from it reverberated all around warning the passing the ships to clear of the rock thereby averting the disasters. Mariners used to praise and bless the Abbot for this kind act of placing the warning device on the rock.
Stanza 04 :
In the above stanza, the poet describes a cheerful atmosphere. It was very sunny and bright. The sun was shining in the sky and making the other creatures on the planet earth happy. That particular day, everything looked so joyful, the sea-birds were whirling over the sea and screaming to express their happiness, while there remained certain buoyancy in the step of the ship’s men.
Stanza 05 :
In this stanza, sir Ralph is introduced for the first time. On the fine day, the anchored floating
Sign(buoy)was clearly visible as a blackish spot in the green ocean. The captain of the ship, Sir Ralph stood on the deck of his vessel and at the dark spot of the buoy.
Stanza 06 :
The stanza describes Ralph’s thoughts and feelings. The magic of the cheerful weather gripped his mind and he felt unusually joyous. He was making whistling sounds and singing in delight as his heart swayed in joy. However, this joy was not pure and got generated from his wickedness. He had something devilish in his mind.
Stanza 07 :
The devilish thoughts lurking inside the dark mind of the captain made him to cook up a very nasty plan. His intentions were to destroy the good work of the Abbot by destroying the bell and wreak havoc on the passing ships with the hidden treacherous rock.
Stanza 08 :
The captain ordered his men to lower a boat and hopped on it so as to get close to the buoy to uproot it.The captain ordered his men to lower a boat and hopped on it so as to get close to the buoy to uproot it.
Stanza 09 :
As soon as Ralph cut the rope, the bell of Inchcape sank down into the deep water creating a gargling sound causing bubbles to rise and burst on the surface. Deriving immense pleasure from what he did, he felt satisfied that the bell would save no more ships and the seamen would no longer bless the Abbot.
Stanza 10 :
Proud of his deed, Sir Ralph set the sails on a new journey across many seas and over many days. He was a pirate and robbed many ships which met accidents crashing to the Inchcape rock and became a rich man .After collecting enough treasure and booty, he was heading back to the Scotland shores.
Stanza11 :
The day when Sir Ralph was returning turned out to be dark. The thick fog filled atmosphere spread far and wide making the sun invisible. The strong winds that were blowing throughout the day seized in the evening.
Stanza 12 :
Sir Ralph stood on the deck but couldn’t see the land due to the foggy atmosphere. The crew was panic-stricken but Ralph assured them that there would soon be some light in the sky as the moon was about to appear.
Stanza 13 :
One of the crew members said that he could not locate the position of the ship and coastland as the waves were receding into a mute conspiracy. He was also lamenting that there was no Inchcape bell to wan them of the nearing rocky road and to ease their fears.
Stanza 14 :
The sea got more turbulent and feisty and they could hear no sound as there was no alarm bell ringing. The wind also dropped to a standstill and the ship was now in the grip of the waves and they continued rowing here and there. Suddenly, the ship got the jerk and they understood and uttered in disappointment that their vessel had hit the Inchcape Rock.
Stanza 15 :
The Rover, Sir Ralph in frustration pulled his hair and cursed himself for his evil deeds. He fell into a pit of his own making and the rock turned into his tombstone. Meanwhile, the water rushing in from all sides and started sinking the ship.
Stanza 16 :
As the ship was sinking down in the sea, Sir Ralph heard a sound like that of the Inchcape Bell that seizes him with terror. It was actually his death knell that the devil himself was ringing beneath the water reminding him of his approaching death due to his misdeeds done.
Stanza 17 :
As he breathed his last he finally heard a bell rang in the distance. He was seized with horror. The sound was of the Abbot’s bell at the belly of the sea.
The Devil at the bottom had the ball in his hand and was ringing the death knell fervently. It was the final sound of the Rover’s fateful demise. It was deathly music of revenge, a song of poetic justice.
Extract/ Stanza No. 01
Page No 104 (Lines, “No stir……………..Abbot of Aberbrothok”)
Q. Read the given extract and do all the activities that follow it:
A1. Complete the following sentences (02)
a) There was neither…Stir (in the air) as well as in (the sea)
b) The waves were flowing over the Inchcape Rock.
c) The Abbot of Aberbrothok placed the bell on the bell on the Inchcape Rock.
d) The Mariners used to bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
A1. True or False : (02)
State whether the following statements are true or false.
1) The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed the bell for the sake of warning the mariners. (T)
2) The Mariners could heard the warning bell when the sea was steady and silent. (F)
3) The Mariners used to curse the Abbot of Aberbrothok for placing the bell at a wrong place. (F)
4) The Atmosphere in the first two stanzas describes calmness in the sea. (T)
A2. Complete the following sentences : (02)
a) The Abbot of Aberbrothok placed a bell on the Inchcape Rock because………
The movement of the float during the high tide would make the bell ring and warn the sailors of the danger from the Rock.
b) The mariners were grateful to the Abbot of Aberbrothok because …………..
The Abbot of Aberbrothok Placed the warning bell on the Inchcape Rock and there by, saving them from the perilous rock.
A2. Explain : (02)
Explain the meaning of the words,” Surge’s swell”
The words,” Surge’s swell” means the sea-waves moved up and down and rose high due to the group of tides.
A2. Find out : (02)
Find out the weather conditions prevailed in the first stanza and write down the lines to prove the fact.
The weather condition prevailed in the first stanza was very calm and quiet. The sea was silent
And there was no storm or movement.
The lines that prove this are…
There is no stir in the air
There is no stir in the sea.
The keel of the sheep is steady.
The waves flowed steadily.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
Share your views on the notion," In the battle of Good v/s Evil, Goodness always wins"Explain with suitable examples in about Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
Imagine you lost in an unknown place especially during travelling write down your feelings in about Fifty words.
A3. Personal Response : (02)
Do you have similar experience when you were in a risky situation and a glimmer of hope relieved you,Share your views in about Fifty words.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Name and explain the figure of speech used in the lines
“ No stir in the air, no stir in the sea”
And find one more example from the extract.
The figure of speech used in the above line is an example of REPETITION.
The other example from the extract is
“ So little they rose, so little they fell.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Find out examples of Alliteration from the extract.
The examples of Alliteration are
1. The ship was as still as she could be.(sound ‘s” is repeated)
2. Without either sign or sound of their shock.( sound “s” is repeated)
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Name and explain the figure of speech used in the line
1. The ship was as still as she could be, the keel was steady.
The figure of speech used in the above line is an example of Personification because the sheep or keel ( non-living thing/abstract idea) is personified and given human qualities.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
Name and explain the figure of speech used in the following line
“ without either sign or sound of their shock
The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock”
The figure of speech used in the above line is an example of an INVERSION because the words are not arranged in a proper prose/grammatical order.
The correct order should be,” The waves flowed over the Inchcape Rock without either sign or sound of their shock.
A4. Poetic Devices : (02)
“The ship was as still as she could be”
Name and explain the figure of speech used in the above line.
The figure of speech used here is an example of SIMILE because the ship is directly compared with the female( human being) and the comparison is made with the word, “as”)
A4. Poetic Devices:. (02)
Name and Explain the figure of speech used in the given line.
"So little they rose,so little they fell"
The figure of speech used in the above line is an example of Anti Thesis because two opposite ideas/contrasting words are used in the same line.
A5. Poetic Creativity : (02)
Compose two lines of your own on the theme ,” Sailing in the sea”
A5. Poetic Creativity : (02)
No stir in the air, no stir in the sea
The ship was as still as she could be
How sails from heaven received no motion
Her keel was steady in the ocean
Replace the underlined lines and compose two lines of your own.
A5. Poetic Creativity : (02)
The Abbot of Aberbrothok had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock.................
Compose the next two lines of your own replacing the original lines.
Activities prepared by
TUSHAR J BAGWE
K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND COMMERCE VIDYAVIHAR EAST MUMBAI
E Mail ID : tushar@somaiya.edu
