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Nathaniel Hawthorne
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April 2020 Read: Tales of a Wayside Inn, Part 2
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Joanna
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Apr 13, 2020 12:40PM
Please use this thread to discuss part 2 of Tales of a Wayside Inn. :)
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'The Bell of Atri' (The Sicilian's Tale) is strangely familiar to me, but I feel as if I read it just as a story, not a poem!
Is this the section with "The Children's Hour"? I am trying to determine where I am. The ebook I have been reading tells me I have completed all of the book, but I am not sure.
No, 'The Children's Hour' is a separate work. I'm guessing your ebook only has part 1. I have a copy like that and it also has The Children's Hour at the end. I don't know why the other 2 parts aren't always included...they are every bit as good in my opinion! :)
I finished part 2 today...my favorite was The Ballad of Carmillhan. My book (which is a complete collection of Longfellow's poems from the 1880s) has a stunning illustration showing the ship dashing against the 3 stone chimneys rising out of the sea, and the phantom ship Carmillhan in the background. I have a strange fascination with phantom ships. :D
SIgh! I am missing out! I will have to locate a better copy!
Found a better copy on Wikisource, so I will catch up soon!
I just read The Battle of Carmillhan! Such a great story! I think there are many legends of phantom ships off the coast of Maine, aren't there? I wonder if you could take a photo of the illustration you mentioned, Meg?
Glad you enjoyed this one Margaret...it is grand! Here are a couple pictures of the illustration in my book. Yes there are quite a few phantom ship legends on the Maine coast. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote a poem about 'The Dead Ship of Harpswell'...
http://www.bartleby.com/270/13/120.html
Wow! Great illustrations! They really convey the sense of the poem and the sense of dread.
I had never read Whittier's poem "The Dead Ship of Harpswell." It is a great companion poem to Longfellow's. I know that area of Maine pretty well, and remember a beautiful sunset one evening over Harpswell. (And calm seas!)
Just finished Part 2 and loved it! I found "The Baron of St.Castine" very moving. The choir is singing the matin song,
The doors of the church are opened wide,
The people crowd, and press, and throng
To see the bridegroom and the bride.
They enter and pass along the nave;
They stand upon the father's grave;
The bells are ringing soft and slow;
The living above and the dead below
Give their blessing on one and twain;
The warm wind blows from the hills of Spain,
The birds are building, the leaves are green,
And Baron Castine of St. Castine
Hath come at last to his own again.
Margaret wrote: "I had never read Whittier's poem "The Dead Ship of Harpswell." It is a great companion poem to Longfellow's. I know that area of Maine pretty well, and remember a beautiful sunset one evening over ..."I think Whittier wrote a few poems about phantom ships...my favorite is actually 'The Palatine'. http://www.bartleby.com/270/13/47.html
From what I read, there were actually two men still alive at the time Whittier wrote this poem who claimed to have seen it. One of them wrote to Whittier about it afterwards and his account is very convincing! :D
I would love to see Harpswell sometime...I've been to the Maine coast several times but each time only briefly.
Margaret wrote: "Just finished Part 2 and loved it! I found "The Baron of St.Castine" very moving. The choir is singing the matin song,
The doors of the church are opened wide,
The people crowd, and press, and th..."
I like this one too...ok, I like them all! :)
Now I am intrigued by phantom ships! It is interesting the Whittier had correspondence from men who claimed to have seen a phantom ship! Popham Beach is my favourite beach!
Here is a passage about phantom ships and the letter to Whittier about the Palatine from The Poets' New England..."Phantom ships seem to have been a quite common occurrence. One is mentioned in this poem, a spectre ship of Salem with dead men in her shrouds that sailed sheer above the water, in the loom of morning clouds. Longfellow tells of one in his “Phantom Ship,” which appeared to the people of New Haven, the spectre of the ship they had sent back to England, laden with whatever valuables and products of the country they could collect, and described so circumstantially at the time of its appearance that we feel almost as bound to believe in it as the marvel-intoxicated Mather.
Whittier tells of two others, one seen at Block Island, and one at Orr's Island, on the Maine coast. The former is out of our present jurisdiction, but is of peculiar interest because the vision had been seen by a man living at the time when Whittier wrote the poem. This old gentleman was Mr. Benjamin Corydon, of Napoli, New York, who, in his ninety-second year, wrote the following letter to Whittier, after having read the poem:
“The Palatine was a ship that was driven upon Block Island, in a storm, more than a hundred years ago. Her people had just got ashore, and were on their knees thanking God for saving them from drowning, when the islanders rushed upon them and murdered them all. That was a little more than the Almighty could stand, so He sent the Fire or Phantom Ship, to let them know He had not forgotten their wickedness. She was seen once a year on the same night of the year on which the murders occurred, as long as any of the wreckers were living; but never after all were dead. I must have seen her eight or ten times—perhaps more—in my early days. It is seventy years or more since she was last seen. My father lived right opposite Block Island, on the main land, so we had a fair view of her as she passed down by the island, then she would disappear. She resembled a full-rigged ship, with her sails all set and all ablaze. It was the grandest sight I ever saw in all my life. I know of only two living who ever saw her,—Benjamin L. Knowles, of Rhode Island, now ninety-four years old, and myself, now in my ninety-second year.”
Wow! My thoughts exactly on the illustrations.The Three Chimneys are menacing and
the ghost ship on the left is perfectly faint.
"For right ahead lay the Ship of the Dead,
The ghostly Carmilhan!
Her masts were stripped, her yards were bare,
And on her bowsprit, poised in air,
Sat the Klaboterman."
I finished The Ballad of Carmilhan,
the poetic imagery is captivating.
This tale is perfect for a campfire.
__________________
Whittier, whom I have never read, was a good
follow up to this tale; the passage is so
extraordinary and mysterious.
I haven't heard nor read of this.
Have many witnessed this phantom ship?
Ruth wrote: "Whittier, whom I have never read, was a good follow up to this tale; the passage is so
extraordinary and mysterious.
I haven't heard nor read of this.
Have many witnessed this phantom ship? ..."
It would seem so from this 1811 account...
“The people who have always lived here are so familiarized to the sight that they never think of giving notice to those who do not happen to be present, or even of mentioning it afterwards…
The light looks like a blaze of fire six or seven miles from the northern part of Block Island. Sometimes it’s small, like the light from a distant window. Sometimes it’s as big as a ship and wavers like a torch.”
A couple of interesting article about the Palatine...
http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociet...
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/...
New England Historical Society The Legend of the Ghost Ship Palatine
"Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, Block Islanders can see the ghost of the flaming ship and hear Mary Vanderline’s screams above the surf."
Goodness! That is quite a parting gift for travelers.
Ruth wrote: "New England Historical Society The Legend of the Ghost Ship Palatine
"Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, Block Islanders can see the ghost of the flaming ship and hear Mary Vanderline’s ..."
I'm not sure I ever want to visit Block Island... :D
Me neither, Ruth! I will stay away. Ghosts are fun to read about,but wouldn't want to see a ghost or a ghost ship! Now I am eager to read "The Poets' New England".
Meg wrote: "Ruth wrote: "New England Historical Society The Legend of the Ghost Ship Palatine
"Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, Block Islanders can see the ghost of the flaming ship and hear Mary ..."
I was looking at images of Block Island, it is a nice
place for morning or afternoon picnic excursion-
just vacate before twilight.😰
Me too, Margaret! Who will our next poet be?
Ruth wrote: "I was looking at images of Block Island, it is a nice place for morning or afternoon picnic excursion-
just vacate before twilight. ..."
Yes, that might work. :) I half want to see it, but I sure wouldn't want to be alone!
The Poet's Tale; Lady Wentworthwas a delightful poem.
🌺"The robin, the forerunner of the spring,
The bluebird with his jocund carolling,🕊
The restless swallows building in the eaves,
The golden buttercups, the grass, the leaves,
The lilacs tossing in the winds of May,🐝
All welcomed this majestic holiday!"
🐞
This is a lovely description of spring.🌺
Meg, This poem reminds me of you.
Ruth wrote: "The Poet's Tale; Lady Wentworthwas a delightful poem.
🌺"The robin, the forerunner of the spring,
The bluebird with his jocund carolling,🕊
The restless swallows building in the eaves,
The golden b..."
Yes that is lovely! :) These lines from the prelude to the poem describe it beautifully...
"Something of our New England earth,
A tale, which, though of no great worth,
Has still this merit, that it yields
A certain freshness of the fields,
A sweetness as of home-made bread?"
That is wonderfully sentimental, Meg.😌🍞________________
The Theologian's Tale; The Legend Beautiful
"Rapt in silent ecstasy
Of divinest self-surrender,
Saw the Vision and the Splendor.
Deep distress and hesitation
Mingled with his adoration;_
Should he go, or should he stay?
.....
Then a voice within his breast
Whispered, audible and clear
As if to the outward ear:
"Do thy duty; that is best;*
Leave unto thy Lord the rest!"
*Sage words to live by.
This is another favorite poem,
The Baron of St. Castine was a sad but good tale;the poor father...
______
🍂"That even as the tale was done
Burst from its canopy of cloud,
And lit the landscape with the blaze
Of afternoon on autumn days,
And filled the room with light, and made
The fire of logs a painted shade."🍂
I love Autumn!🍁☀
End of Part II
Hi Margaret,I am glad you are. I am lost in poetic musings.
I also enjoyed you passage of
The Baron of St. Castine.
The tales are vividly written that
it is as if your experiencing this
along with people.
Meg wrote: "Ruth wrote: "I was looking at images of Block Island, it is a nice place for morning or afternoon picnic excursion-
just vacate before twilight. ..."
Yes, that might work. :) I half want to see ..."
💁-You could always go with a small group and
make it an occasion. 🍑🍎🍒🍤🍗😋
Lovely passages, Ruth. The Legend Beautiful is such a wonderful poem...But he paused with awe-struck feeling
At the threshold of his door,
For the Vision still was standing
As he left it there before,
When the convent bell appalling,
From its belfry calling, calling,
Summoned him to feed the poor.
Through the long hour intervening
It had waited his return,
And he felt his bosom burn,
Comprehending all the meaning,
When the Blessed Vision said,
"Hadst thou stayed, I must have fled!"
Reading Lady Wentworth now... love this bit about the Governor: "For though not given to weakness, he could feelThe pain of wounds, that ache because they heal."
Marian wrote: "Reading Lady Wentworth now... love this bit about the Governor: "For though not given to weakness, he could feelThe pain of wounds, that ache because they heal.""
Those are beautiful lines, Marian. I'm sure Longfellow was well acquainted with that feeling.
That line REALLY resonates with me as well, Marian. So true and so profound.
My dad just got me a very interesting book entitled The Percy Anecdotes: To Which Is Added a Valuable Collection of American Anecdotes: Original and Select, Illustrated with Fourteen Fine Portraits. It was originally published in 1832, but this edition is from 1851. Anyway, this book is so interesting I just had to start reading it right away, even though I've already got so many books going it's a wonder my brain isn't completely confused! :D On page 8 I came across this...sound familiar? :) PETITION OF THE HORSE.
In the days of John, King of Atri, an ancient city of Abruzzo, there was a bell put up, which any one that had received any injury went and rang, and the king assembled the wise men chosen for the purpose, that justice might be done. It happened, that after the bell had been up a long time, the rope was worn out, and a piece of wild vine was made use of to lengthen it. New there was a knight of Atri, who had a noble charger which was become unserviceable through age, so that to avoid the expense of feeding him, he turned him loose upon the common. The horse, driven by hunger, raised his month to the vine to munch it, and pulling it the bell rang. The judges assembled to consider the petition of the horse, which appeared to demand justice. They decreed, that the knight whom he had served in his youth, should feed him in his old age; a sentence which the king confirmed under a heavy penalty.
That was a sweet gesture. A book from Longfellow's time,
that's grand! 📖💓
(The Sicilian's Tale; The Bell of Atri);
He made poetic version of this tale
special
_______&_______
I have the same issue with my books,
When I close my eyes, they swirl over
my head like a baby's mobile.
Early American Literature
Books mentioned in this topic
The Percy Anecdotes: To Which Is Added a Valuable Collection of American Anecdotes: Original and Select, Illustrated with Fourteen Fine Portraits (other topics)The Poets' New England (other topics)
Tales of a Wayside Inn (other topics)
