‘The North Ship’ is a poem about journeys and the immense ways they can vary for those who embark on them. Philip Larkin’s poem examines the routes of three different ships that symbolize the various paths we might find ourselves on in life. The poem emphasizes a sense of optimism in the face of life’s turbulence which is adequately symbolized by the sea’s chaotic nature.
Summary
‘The North Ship’ by Philip Larkin describes the various departures of three distinct ships that evoke a sense of bittersweet melancholy within the speaker.
‘The North Ship’ begins with a somewhat mundane and everyday observation by the speaker: “I saw three ships go sailing by,” they remark to the reader. What follows is a description of their departures as well as their travels and respective returns (with the exception of the third vessel).
The first ship appears to fair the best of the trio, as it’s aided in its westward course by the wind and is lucky enough to be headed toward “a rich country.” The second ship doesn’t fair so well: heading east, it is greeted by a “quaking sea” and wind that hunts it “like a beast.” On top of that, its destination is far less profitable, and the speaker remarks that it will be anchored in “captivity.”
The third ship is the one referenced in the title and, as such, is unsurprisingly headed north. Unlike the previous ships, no wind comes to carry this vessel. Instead, it just floats steadily on its course shining “frostily” in the cold weather. But when the eastbound and westbound ships return — “Happily or unhappily” — the northern ship is still nowhere to be found. The final stanza concludes that the ship is still on its “long journey,” travailing an “unforgiving sea” beneath a “fire-spilling star.”
Structure and Form
‘The North Ship’ is composed of six quatrains with a rhyme scheme of ‘ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL.’ Many of these are slant rhymes, but it still creates a lyrical cadence throughout the poem.
Literary Devices
‘The North Ship’ relies mainly on imagery and figurative language. There are examples of visual/kinesthetic imagery: “I saw three ships go sailing by” (1). Visual imagery: “And one was rigged for a long journey” (4, 24); “And the decks shone frostily” (16); “Under a fire-spilling star” (23). Kinesthetic imagery: “the lifting sea” (2); “the running sea” (6); “the quaking sea” (10).
Larkin also employs an extended metaphor in three ships, each symbolizing a different path taken through life. There is also an example of metaphor: “And by the wind was all possessed” (7). As well as a simile: “like a beast” (11). Personification is also present: “And the wind hunted it” (11); “But no breath of wind came forth” (15); “Over the proud unfruitful sea” (18); “Into an unforgiving sea” (22).
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
I saw three ships go sailing by,
Over the sea, the lifting sea,
And the wind rose in the morning sky,
And one was rigged for a long journey.
In the first stanza of ‘The North Ship,‘ the speaker offers a wealth of imagery to describe a seemingly ordinary moment. It begins with the passage of three ships “over the sea, the lifting sea” (2), identifying one as being “rigged for a long journey” (4). Throughout the poem, the speaker’s descriptions of the sea and the wind are constantly shifting. Yet, in this first stanza, conditions appear rather ideal, especially for the three vessels about to begin their respective journeys.
Stanza Two
The first ship turned towards the west,
(…)
And carried to a rich country.
The first ship is described as turning westward, diverging from the other two. The diction of this stanza indicates that the westbound ship fairs the best of the trio. For one, they experience a swift journey thanks to the “running sea” (6) and being “possessed” (7) by the wind. In this way, they are “carried” (8) to their destination, which itself implies the relative ease with which they reach it. On top of that, their destination is revealed to be “a rich country” (8). So not only is the first ship’s journey relatively easy, but it’s also quite profitable.
Stanza Three
The second ship turned towards the east,
(…)
To anchor in captivity.
In the third stanza of ‘The North Ship,‘ the speaker turns their attention to the second ship. This one heads east and immediately sees a change in fortune. Unlike the calm and swift waves that have been described by the speaker up to this point, the second ship encounters a “quaking sea” (10). In addition to the violent waters, the wind is also rendered virulent and personified as a hunter that hounds the ships across the sea “like a beast” (11).
After such a harrowing journey, the ship is greeted not with riches like the first ship but rather a dreadful fate: “To anchor in captivity” (12). If the first ship was an example of everything going right on a journey, then the second is, without a doubt, the worst-case scenario.
Stanza Four
The third ship drove towards the north,
(…)
And the decks shone frostily.
The speaker then focuses on the final ship and its northern course. Here, Larkin uses much more ambiguous diction to describe both the sea and the wind. A “darkening sea” (14) is bleak but not malicious like the one experienced by the second ship, while the absence of wind might mean a long journey, but that’s arguably better than being hunted by a storm.
The cold weather encountered on its journey into the north is illustrated via imagery — “And the decks shone frostily” (16) — and the sluggish movement that characterizes the stanza.
Stanza Five
The northern sky rose high and black
(…)
Happily or unhappily:
The fifth stanza of ‘The North Ship’ narrates the return of the first two ships. The speaker opens the stanza still focused on the “northern sky” (17), which might indicate they are still looking for the third ship’s return on the horizon. They also describe the sea as “proud unfruitful” (18), another example of personification that characterizes the expansive waters as tumultuous and futile.
Given how the first ship experienced a fair journey through apparent chance and the second suffered — this is a pretty apt description. As a result, the ships return either “happily or unhappily” (20), but they do return eventually.
Stanza Six
But the third went wide and far
(…)
And it was rigged for a long journey.
The final stanza reveals that the third ship has not yet returned, as its journey, compared to the other two ships, is far longer. Once again, the speaker mingles a certain longing bittersweetness with their choice of diction: the sea the ship travels on is “unforgiving” (22), but the majestic beauty of it sailing beneath a “fire-spilling star” (23) alludes to more romantic sentiments.
There is even a sense of optimism that’s quietly implied by the way the third ship has surpassed the obstacles it encounters in stanza four. Although it hasn’t reached its destination yet, it continues to sail “wide and far” (21), undeterred by the sea and more than prepared for what lies ahead.
The fact that the poem ends by repeating the last line of the fourth stanza punctuates the idea that the third ship’s endurance is crucial to the poem’s theme. One could even read the final line as a sort of cyclical allusion that the ship has actually made it to another port and is being once again made ready for another long journey.
FAQs
The poem’s theme is an optimistic outlook on the different journeys one might embark on in life. The speaker’s narration of the three ships’ respective experiences sailing the ocean hones in on their belief that we have little control over many things in life. All we can do is prepare ourselves and stay the course.
The way the poem unfolds might imply that this is based on a memory that the Larkin might’ve experienced themselves. The sight of three ships disembarking stirs something inside them as it does with the speaker. He no doubt wrote the poem as a meditation on those sentiments and the kind of longing they might evoke.
The sea could symbolize quite a lot in this poem, though a general interpretation might settle on life’s unpredictability and tumultuousness. Each ship is treated differently by the sea and wind, also indicating the individual uniqueness of people’s experiences.
The fact that each ship departs heading in a different direction also underscores the way we, as people, are all bound for different destinations.
Similar Poems
Here are a few more poems you might enjoy:
- ‘The Ship Starting’ by Walt Whitman – this poem also follows the impending departure of a ship.
- ‘Part I: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge – this famous poem sees a seaman relating his tale.
- ‘Cargoes’ by John Masefield – this poem hones in on the more modern sight of cargo ships.
