Poetry Analysis

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"The Barrelship"

Original Poetry

Translation

"The Barrelship"

Get on board, and lift the heavy load—

Climb aboard, and hoist the weight—

Rum in barrels—our valuable cargo,

Rum in kegs—our precious freight,

Pull up the anchors and untie the ropes;

Anchors pull and ropes untie;

Say hello to the sea and the sky!

Kiss the sea and greet the sky!

We got on board, and lost our direction

Climbed aboard, and lost our way

Because of the waves' relentless movement

By the waves' unyielding sway

Eighteen, oh seven more

Ten and eight, oh seven more

That's when we hit the shore

That is when we crashed ashore

Days have gone by

Days have passed, and minds have gone

minds have deteriorated

Barrels lost were, by the tonne

Barrels were lost, by the ton

Opened one to take a drink

Opened one to have a drink

Now I can not sleep a wink—

Now I can't sleep at all—

Gold aside, and freight forget—

Forget the gold, and the cargo—

As the Sun's about to set,

As the Sun is about to go down,

Horror sets in—Reaper's joy—

Fear sets in—Death's delight—

For inside was but a boy.

For inside was just a child.

(Note: the numbers are a year)

Explanation

The poem 'The Barrelship' narrates a tale of a sea voyage that turns tragic. It begins with the excitement of setting sail, carrying rum as precious cargo. However, the journey quickly turns perilous as the crew loses their way due to the relentless waves. The numbers mentioned (eighteen and seven) likely refer to a year, hinting at a historical or fictional event. As time passes, the crew's mental state deteriorates, and they lose barrels of rum. In a moment of desperation, they open a barrel to drink, only to discover a horrifying truth—inside is a boy, possibly a stowaway or victim of the voyage. The poem explores themes of adventure, loss, and the unexpected consequences of human actions, using vivid imagery and a narrative style to convey the emotional depth of the experience.

Word Dictionary8

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
aboard	on the ship	on a ship	uh-bawrd
hoist	lift	raise	hoyst
freight	cargo	goods	freyt
unyielding	unrelenting	unyielding	uhn-yeel-ding
sway	movement	swing	sway
tonne	metric ton	weight	tun
wink	moment of sleep	short sleep	wink
Reaper	Death	Death	ree-per

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraUnknown

The poet of 'The Barrelship' is unknown. The poem appears to be a modern piece, possibly written in the 21st century.

WhenUnknown, possibly 21st century

WhyThe poem seems to explore themes of adventure, loss, and unexpected tragedy, possibly reflecting on the perils of exploration and the unforeseen consequences of human actions.

FormNarrative poem

Themes & More

Themes

AdventureLossTragedyExploration

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the sea and the journey.Personification: The Reaper as a personification of death.Metaphor: 'Kiss the sea and greet the sky' as a metaphor for embarking on a journey.Alliteration: 'Rum in kegs—our precious freight,' with the repetition of the 'r' sound.