2.3 The Inchcape Rock - Poetic Appreciation

 The Inchcape Rock is a ballad written by a versatile and prolific writer, poet, essayist Robert Southey, the Poet Laureate of England.This ballad is based on the legendary  folk tale of the Abbot of Aberbrothok who had installed a warning bell on the Inchcape Rock to save the life of the mariners from shipwreck by crashing with the reef. But the wicked pirate,Sir Ralph the Rover, being envious of the popularity of Abbot of Aberbrothok and wanted to loot the wrecked ships, cut the bell. Finally,Sir Ralph the Rover, the villainous character got the punishment of his bad deed.The poem gives us a message that 'those who dig a pit for others, they themselves fall in it.'

It is a long narrative poem - a lyrical ballad. It is divided into three parts. In the First part, there are 4 stanzas.Second part consists 6 stanzas and third part consists 7 stanzas.Thus, the poem has total 17 stanzas.Each stanza consists  quatrain. 

The poem opens with a depiction of calm and quite sea and the whole atmosphere.The Abbot of Aberbrothok, a passive but benevolent person who had tied the Inchcape bell to forewarn the mariners about the existence of the hidden Inchcape rock during the storm to keep themselves safe.

The second part begins with a beautiful and vivid depiction of a fresh and bright spring  morning.On that particular day, Sir Ralph the Rover,the Pirate was  in cheerful mood. He saw the dark speck - buoy-a floating object which has been attached to that Inchcape bell, and a villainous  thought came in his mind to cut the bell so that the ships would crash against the rock . He ordered his crewmen to row a boat to that bell and cut it.As soon as he cut the bell, it sank into the water. Now he would loot the ship and no one would give blessings to the Abbot for his good deed. 

Here, the intention of Ralph the Rover  has been fulfilled as he could loot the wrecked ships and became a rich person.

In the third part of the poem, we find out that how this wicked pirate Rover got punishment of his bad deed.On his return journey, he steered his ship towards the shore of Scotland.The day was dark and gloomy. The sailors could not find out their way due to poor visibility. That very moment their ship dashed to rock and wrecked. Rover was frustrated and repentant but in vain.His ship drowned along with his crew members. The bell, he cut, now ringing as death knell. Here the poetic justice is given to Rover.

In this lyrical ballad, the poet has used very simple language. Different poetic devices are used to convey  a moral lesson "As you sow, so shall you reap."Alliteration, Repetition, Simile, Metaphor,Personification, Inversion,Onomatopoeia etc are used in this poem.The rhyme scheme is aabb. All stanzas carry a same form. 

The poet has used narrative and descriptive techniques to enhance the poetic effect. The poem provides a fine verbal image of calm atmosphere of the sea, the sun, the waves, birds, rock, bell etc.Thus, this ballad glides from one incident to another very smoothly which creates the special effect  on the mind of readers.

The poem gives us a valuable message of wisdom and reality - 'If you dig a pit for others , you may fall into it.'

I like this poem as I am inspired  by this poem. The same way I learnt a lesson-' not to harm anyone or play with any ones emotions.'