Sea Stories

Sea Stories: Icebergs by Lydia Huntley Sigourney

Lydia Huntley Sigourney (1791–1865) was a popular poet in her time, but today has largely been forgotten. In her poem Iceberg, Sigourney recounts the journey of the steamship “Great Western” from Europe to the USA in 1841, in which the steamship passed through a “fleet” of icebergs. The captain of the Great Western (Captain Hoskins) reported the fleet stretched for approximately 3/4 of a mile, and estimated to be 300 - 400 in number.

Poetry corner: Sargasso Weed by Edmund Clarence Stedman

In 1879, Edmund Clarence Stedman (1833 - 1908) designed a rigid airship inspired by the anatomy of a fish. His airship was never built, by Stedman’s literary works came steadily. Between 1875 and 1892, Stedman had the fortune to travel to the Caribbean. His poem “Sargasso Weed” was inspired by this journey and is as much about the swaths of sargassum that float in the sea as it is a criticism of European and American imperialism in the region.

Sea Stories: Sea Wrack by Moira O’Neill

Sea wrack - the large species of seaweeds - has been collected by people all over the world for hundreds of years. Join point Moira O’Neill (the non de plume of Agnes Shakespeare Higginson) as she takes us to 19 century Ireland.

Sea Stories: The Sound Of The Sea by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sea is in a constant state of change. From the shore, one may look in awe at it’s stillness - or it’s ferocity. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow takes us back to a night when the sea awoke from its slumber...

Sea Stories: Submarine Mountains by Cale Young Rice

Poet and dramatist Cale Young Rice (1872 - 1943) may have been born and died in land-locked Kentucky, USA, but the sea still cast her magic on him. In his poem Submarine Mountains, Rice takes us on a journey below the waves, and into a world that was starting to be uncovered thanks to the increasing development of submarines during his life.

Sea Stories: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - Part 7

It’s not often that a poem becomes not one but two movies, or inspired a song by Iron Maiden but Samuel Taylor Coleridge's ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is one of those rare exceptions. It is a 7-part tale about the experiences of a sailor who has just returned from sea. It’s a tale of peril, of the supernatural, of the sea. Today, lets take a look at part VII (the final piece), in which the mariner makes it back to land - just…