Poem 2.3 The Inchcape rock

The Inchcape rock .....By Robert Southey

About Poet:-

Robert Southey was born in Bristol ,England .He was educated at Westminster school and balliol college Oxford. He was a poet laureate of England from 1813 to 1843. He has written the poems like The scholar , the battle of blenheim , Bishop hatto, The inchcape Rock,etc.

About Poem:-

Inchcape rock is a ballad. The poem is bit long as the ballads should be. It consists of 17th stanzas of of four lines each. The first two and last two lines of each stanza rhyme with each other. The rhyme scheme is AABB for each stanza.

Theme of the poem:-

In north sea there is a reef of a great rock called The inchcape Rock. It is 18 kilometre away from the east coast of Angus Scotland. It is covered most of the time with water. Many boats and ships have been wrecked on that rock. It is so  near the top of the water so every ship striked on it and many sailors ,Mariners lost their life on that hidden rock. There was a kind hearted man named Abbot of Aberbrothock who fastened buoy on the inchcape rock and installed  the warning bell. Bell rang during the storms and issued an alert for the passing ship , so the seaman knew about the hidden Rock and save their ship and life from the accident.Every sailor blessed the Abbot for his good work and praised him. Ralph the Rover was a pirate of sea. He was wicked minded person who destroy the bell to accomplish his desire to rob more ships putting them in danger. But finally when he was returning to Scotland shore, his ship crashed against the hidden rock that is inchcape rock and sunked into the sea. Thus Ralph the Rover was punished for his sinful work.

Moral message to The reader:-

Here the poet Robert Southey delivers a message through the poem . The message is that what ever you did good or bad things in your life , you will get its fruits which is depend on your deeds. 'As you sow , so shall you reap' is is the best proverb which fits here completely.

Stanza-wise Summary & Explanation:-

1. In the first stanza,poet describes the calmness of the sea. The air, the sea, the ship – all were stationary mode. The sails of the ship were getting no motion from the wind. Its keel was steady in the ocean.
2. The second stanza describes the mild sea waves. The waves were rising and falling so little that they did not make any sign or sound. The waves were gently flowing over the Inchcape Rock without moving or ringing the bell.
3. The third stanza is about the bell. The ‘good old Abbot of Aberbrothok’ positioned the Inchcape bell there on the Inchcape Rock. During the storms it floated on a buoy and rang wildly swung by the high tides to alert everyone that the dangerous rock was there.
4. In the next four lines, the poet tells us how the bell guided the mariners in the bad weather. The seamen could not see the Rock as it stayed hidden under the high waves during the storms. But they could hear the ringing bell and went away from the perilous (dangerous) rock. So the bell saved their lives. Then the seafarers blessed the Abbot for his good job. 
5. The fifth stanza delivers a cheerful atmosphere, as it generally happens before every disaster. On a particular bright day everything looked joyful. The sea-birds were whirling over the sea and screaming in joy.
6. In the sixth stanza of the poem Sir Ralph is introduced for the first time. On that fine day, the buoy (an anchored floating sign to show the reef) on the Inchcape Rock was clearly visible, as it was a blackish spot in the green ocean. Sir Ralph the Rover went onto the deck of his vessel and gazed at dark spot of the buoy.
7. The next stanza deals with Ralph’s feelings and thoughts. He was delighted at the good spring atmosphere. He was making whistling sounds and singing in joy. He was actually overjoyed. But no one knew that a sinful thought in his mind was behind this happiness.
8. In the eighth stanza the Rover himself speaks and reveals his desire. His eyes were fixed on the floating buoy on the Inchcape Rock. Sir Ralph the Rover ordered his crew to take the boat to the Inchcape Rock. Then he says that he is going to plague (kill or destroy) the good work of the Abbot of Aberbrothok.
9. The ninth stanza describes that the Rover’s men took the boat to the Inchcape Rock. There he bent over the boat and cut the bell from the Rock.
10. The next stanza pictures how the bell was sinking  down making the bubbling sound. Bubbles rose and burst around. Sir Ralph was happy thinking that the bell would save no more ships and the seamen would no longer bless the Abbot.
11. Sir Ralph the Rover then sailed away from the rock. Thereafter he had robbed and looted many ships which met accidents crashing to the Inchcape Rock. He is now a rich man with all the looted treasures. And today he is going to the Scotland shore with his ship.
12. The twelfth stanza describes the gloomy atmosphere on the day the Rover is sailing to Scotland. The sun is hidden behind the thick fog. Strong winds were blowing all the day, and now, in the evening it has stopped blowing.
13. Then next four lines continues the gloom. The Rover is now on the deck of his ship. They can’t see land as it is very dark. Sir Ralph assures that the moon will appear soon and so there will be light.
14. In the fourteenth stanza one of Ralph’s men says that he hears the roaring sound of the waves breaking against something. So, he hopes they should be near the shore. He also regrets that the Inchcape Bell is no more, as it could guide them in this situation.
15. But no sound was there. The tides were strong. The Rover and his team are drifting along with the ship. Suddenly the vessel gets a jerking. They all realize that the vessel has hit the Inchcape Rock.
16. Sir Ralph the Rover pulls his hairs in frustration. He curses himself for his evil deeds. Meanwhile the water fills in every corner of the vessel and it starts sinking in the sea.
17. In the last stanza of the poem as the Rover is dying, he hears a sound like the ringing of the Inchcape Bell. It was actually his death knell that the Devil himself was ringing beneath the water.Thus the Ralph the Rover gets punishment for his devil work of cutting the warning bell.. 

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