Bermudas
Where the remote Bermudas ride
In th’ ocean’s bosom unespy’d,
From a small boat, that row’d along,
The list’ning winds receiv’d this song.
What should we do but sing his praise
That led us through the wat’ry maze
Unto an isle so long unknown,
And yet far kinder than our own?
Where he the huge sea-monsters wracks,
That lift the deep upon their backs,
He lands us on a grassy stage,
Safe from the storm’s and prelates’ rage.
He gave us this eternal spring
Which here enamels everything,
And sends the fowls to us in care,
On daily visits through the air.
He hangs in shades the orange bright,
Like golden lamps in a green night;
And does in the pomegranates close
Jewels more rich than Ormus shows.
He makes the figs our mouths to meet
And throws the melons at our feet,
But apples plants of such a price,
No tree could ever bear them twice.
With cedars, chosen by his hand,
From Lebanon, he stores the land,
And makes the hollow seas that roar
Proclaim the ambergris on shore.
He cast (of which we rather boast)
The Gospel’s pearl upon our coast,
And in these rocks for us did frame
A temple, where to sound his name.
Oh let our voice his praise exalt,
Till it arrive at heaven’s vault;
Which thence (perhaps) rebounding, may
Echo beyond the Mexique Bay.
Thus sung they in the English boat
An holy and a cheerful note,
And all the way, to guide their chime,
With falling oars they kept the time.
Brief Overview:
The Bermudas can be interpreted in many ways. One may wonder if this poem is recounting the “historical events which brought Puritan voyagers to the Summer Isles” or if they are asking us to look for a deeper meaning that goes further than just the surface of the poem (Fizdale). When we look further than just the surface of the poem, we find that there are many different overlaying metaphors throughout the poem that tie together the central meaning. The waves and rough waters make the trip through the waters a tough one, however, in line 5, the narrator states, “What should we do but sing his praise” meaning that even though it is hard, they still must be praising of this situation.
Irony:
“Thus sung they in the English boat
An holy and a cheerful note,
And all the way, to guide their chime,
With falling oars they kept the time.”
(lines 37-40).
This last stanza gives off a positive stanza which makes the irony of the poem show up. If the boat is traveling through such rapid and terrible waters near the Mexique Bay, then how come the narrator is stating that those who are on the boat are singing, have cheerful notes, and are guiding their chime? What makes it ironic is that they are all doing this while they have “falling oars,” so despite the struggles they are facing, they are keeping the best mindset they can (line 40).
Lines in particular to look at:
(Line 6): “That led us through the wat’ry maze”
- Describing the waters as a maze is describing how the waters are the Bermudas are. These terrible seas are pushing and shifting around the boat as though they are going through a maze of water, making it hard to navigate their way though the waves.
(Lines 9-10): “Where he the huge sea-monsters wracks, that lift the deep upon their backs.”
- The huge monsters that are in the sea can be determined as being the whales. This part of the poem allows us to visualize a whale rising its back up to the top of the water and lifting the ship off of its course.
(Lines 30-32): “The Gospel’s pearl upon our coast, and in these rocks for us did frame, a temple, where to sound his name.”
- This is representing one giant metaphor. The pearl is representative of the major wave and the rocks are represented as a temple. All together, this line shows how the ship is trying its best to make it through this rocky area of the waters.
(Line 35-36): “Which thence (perhaps) rebounding, may echo beyond the Mexique Bay.”
- In this line, Marvell refers to the Gulf of Mexico as the Mexique Bay, indicating just how far their echoing voices may carry.
What can readers take away from this poem?
This poem, without a doubt, is definitely one that is a bit tricky to decipher at first. But with close readings and analysis, we can determine that what has made us so confused in the first place is the high levels of irony that are expressed throughout. Once we grasp that the sailors are going to make the best of this terrible, rough situation, we can get a better understanding of the deeper metaphors and overall central idea of the poem.
Sources:
Fizdale, Tay. “Irony in Marvell’s “Bermudas.” JSTOR Vol. 42, No. 2 (Summer, 1975), pp. 203-213. Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press
URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2872624
Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Ninth Edition. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. Print.
(Contributor: Megan Hallett)