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Poem
October 21, 1913
The New Haven Union
New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut
What is this article about?
Alfred Noyes' poem contrasts the heroic, daring sailors of old English fleets, who battled with blood and bravery for England, with the modern era's reliance on cold machinery like torpedoes and dreadnoughts, implying the former possessed greater strength of spirit.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
VAGRANT VERSE
OLD ENGLISH FLEETS.
They diced with Death. Their big sea boots
Were greased with blood. They swept the seas
For England; and we reap the fruits
Of their heroic devilries!
Our creed is in the cold machine.
The inhuman devildoms of brain--
The bolt that splits the midnight main
Loosed at a lever's touch; the lean
Torpedo: "twenty miles of power";
The steel-clad Dreadnoughts' dark array!
Yet we that keep the conning tower
Are not so strong as they
Whose watchword we disdain.
--Alfred Noyes in Yale Review.
OLD ENGLISH FLEETS.
They diced with Death. Their big sea boots
Were greased with blood. They swept the seas
For England; and we reap the fruits
Of their heroic devilries!
Our creed is in the cold machine.
The inhuman devildoms of brain--
The bolt that splits the midnight main
Loosed at a lever's touch; the lean
Torpedo: "twenty miles of power";
The steel-clad Dreadnoughts' dark array!
Yet we that keep the conning tower
Are not so strong as they
Whose watchword we disdain.
--Alfred Noyes in Yale Review.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
Satire
What themes does it cover?
Patriotism
War Military
What keywords are associated?
Old English Fleets
Naval Heroism
Modern Machinery
Dreadnoughts
Torpedo
Alfred Noyes
Yale Review
What entities or persons were involved?
Alfred Noyes
Poem Details
Title
Old English Fleets.
Author
Alfred Noyes
Subject
Contrasting Old And Modern English Naval Power
Key Lines
They Diced With Death. Their Big Sea Boots Were Greased With Blood. They Swept The Seas For England; And We Reap The Fruits Of Their Heroic Devilries!
Yet We That Keep The Conning Tower Are Not So Strong As They Whose Watchword We Disdain.