Sunday 27 January 2013

The English Boat



'Thus sung they, in the English boat,
An holy and a chearful Note,
And all the way, to guide their Chime,
with falling Oars they kept the time.'

I've been working on an illustration for Andrew Marvell's poem The Bermudas.  Marvell's poem is a beautiful song of praise and thanksgiving by a party of 17th century emigrating puritans to the god that led them 'through the watry maze' to Bermuda, another island far kinder than England itself.
I have been endlessly drawing men rowing boats to foreign lands and, after a lot of drawings which didn't quite look right -boats that didn't look right and men that didn't look right-  came up with this sketch.  I am now working on a colour version which I'll post up soon.

(And yes, he really did spell cheerful with an 'a'.)

1 comment:

  1. Not if it's a poem or a song. but I loved it
    'Thus sung they, in the English boat,
    An holy and a chearful Note,
    And all the way, to guide their Chime,
    with falling Oars they kept the time.'

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