Mother Carey (As Told Me by the Bo’sun)
Mother Carey? She’s the mother o’ the witches’N’ all them sort o’ rips;She’s a fine gell to look at, but the hitch is,She’s a sight too fond of ships.She lives upon a iceberg to the norred,’N’ her man he’s Davy Jones,’N’ she combs the weeds upon her forredWith pore drowned sailors’ bones.
She’s the mother o’ the wrecks, ’n’ the motherOf all big winds as blows;She’s up to some deviltry or otherWhen it storms, or sleets, or snows.The noise of the wind’s her screamin’,‘I’m arter a plump, young, fine,Brass-buttoned, beefy-ribbed young seam’nSo as me ’n’ my mate kin dine.’
She’s a hungry old rip ’n’ a cruelFor sailor-men like we,She’s give a many mariners the gruel’N’ a long sleep under sea.She’s the blood o’ many a crew upon her’N’ the bones of many a wreck,’N’ she’s barnacles a-growin’ on her’N’ shark’s teeth round her neck.
I ain’t never had no schoolin’Nor read no books like you,But I knows ’t ain’t healthy to be foolin’With that there gristly two.You’re young, you thinks, ’n’ you’re lairy,But if you’re to make old bones,Steer clear, I says, o’ Mother Carey,’N’ that there Davy Jones.
Words in this poem
- iceberg n.
- A large mass of ice, generally floating in the ocean. [Prob. of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. iisbierg, Sw. isberg, properly, a mountain of ice. See Ice, and Berg.]
- deviltry n.
- Diabolical conduct; malignant mischief; devilry. C. Reade.
- dine v. i.
- To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. [F. dîner, OF. disner, LL. disnare, contr. fr. an assumed disjunare; dis- + an assumed junare (OF. juner) to fast, for L. jejunare, fr. jejunus fasting. See Jeju]
- gristly a.
- Consisting of, or containing, gristle; like gristle; cartilaginous.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Mother Carey (As Told Me by the Bo’sun) is in the public domain. This text is taken from Salt-Water Ballads, Project Gutenberg ebook #52761; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: John Masefield, Mother Carey (As Told Me by the Bo’sun), in Salt-Water Ballads (1902), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #52761, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/masefield-salt-water/mother-carey-as-told-me-by-the-bo-sun.html, id L12660.
Form and metre
Mother Carey (As Told Me by the Bo’sun) is 32 lines in 4 stanzas of 8 lines each. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCD, complete in 2 of its 4 stanzas. 96% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 8.2 syllables. 6 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 28% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 ABABCDCD witchesA · ripsB · isA · shipsB · norredC · jonesD · forredC · bonesD
- 2 ABAB-C-C motherA · blowsB · otherA · snowsB · screamin · fineC · seam'n · dineC
- 3 -A-ABCBC cruel · weA · gruel · seaA · herB · wreckC · herB · neckC
- 4 ABABCDCD schoolinA · youB · foolinA · twoB · lairyC · bonesD · careyC · jonesD
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Mother Carey? She’s the mother o’ the witches | 12 | /˘/˘··/˘··/˘ |
| ’N’ all them sort o’ rips; | 6 | ······ |
| She’s a fine gell to look at, but the hitch is, | 11 | ··········· |
| She’s a sight too fond of ships. | 7 | ······· |
| She lives upon a iceberg to the norred, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| ’N’ her man he’s Davy Jones, | 7 | ····/˘· |
| ’N’ she combs the weeds upon her forred | 9 | ········· |
| With pore drowned sailors’ bones. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| She’s the mother o’ the wrecks, ’n’ the mother | 11 | ··/˘·····/˘ |
| Of all big winds as blows; | 6 | ······ |
| She’s up to some deviltry or other | 10 | ····/˘˘·/˘ |
| When it storms, or sleets, or snows. | 7 | ······· |
| The noise of the wind’s her screamin’, | 8 | ········ |
| ‘I’m arter a plump, young, fine, | 7 | ·/˘···· |
| Brass-buttoned, beefy-ribbed young seam’n | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| So as me ’n’ my mate kin dine.’ | 8 | ········ |
| She’s a hungry old rip ’n’ a cruel | 10 | ··/˘····/˘ |
| For sailor-men like we, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| She’s give a many mariners the gruel | 11 | ···/˘/˘˘·/˘ |
| ’N’ a long sleep under sea. | 7 | ······· |
| She’s the blood o’ many a crew upon her | 11 | ····/˘····· |
| ’N’ the bones of many a wreck, | 8 | ····/˘·· |
| ’N’ she’s barnacles a-growin’ on her | 10 | ··/˘˘····· |
| ’N’ shark’s teeth round her neck. | 6 | ······ |
| I ain’t never had no schoolin’ | 8 | ··/˘···· |
| Nor read no books like you, | 6 | ······ |
| But I knows ’t ain’t healthy to be foolin’ | 11 | ·····/˘···· |
| With that there gristly two. | 6 | ···/˘· |
| You’re young, you thinks, ’n’ you’re lairy, | 8 | ········ |
| But if you’re to make old bones, | 7 | ······· |
| Steer clear, I says, o’ Mother Carey, | 9 | ·····/˘/˘ |
| ’N’ that there Davy Jones. | 6 | ···/˘· |
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