Из Джона Мэйсфилда - Грузы

                ДЖОН МЭЙСФИЛД(1878-1867),
                английский поэт, прозаик,
                журналист;с 1930 года -
                поэт-лауреат


                ГРУЗЫ


             Галера Ниневии из Офира далёкого,
             Гребёт в гавань солнечной Палестины,
             С грузом слоновой кости,
             Обезьян и павлинов,
             Сандала, кедра, и со сладчайшим белым вином.

             Испанский галеон величавый заходит от перешейка
             Из тропиков, черпая воду бортами, вдоль берегов с зелёными пальмами,
             С грузом алмазов, смарагдов и аметистов,
             Топазов, корицы и золотых муидоров.

             Грязное британское каботажное судно, облепленное солью морской,
             Прёт через Ла-Манш
             Во время безумных мартовских дней
             С грузом угля из Тайна,
             С рельсами, свинцовыми чушками,
             Дровами, скобяными издельями и дешёвыми жестяными подносами. 
            

                29.09.15


               
Quinquireme1 of Nineveh2 from distant Ophir,3
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,4
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine................5 
Stately Spanish galleon5 coming from the Isthmus,6
Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores,
With a cargo of diamonds,
Emeralds, amethysts,7
Topazes,8 and cinnamon, and gold moidores.9..................10

Dirty British coaster10 with a salt-caked11 smoke stack,
Butting through the Channel12 in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne13 coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,14
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays............................15

Notes
1....quinquireme: Large Greek, Roman, or Carthaginian ship used between the first and fourth centuries B.C. to wage war and haul cargo. Three three tiers of oarsmen on each side of the ship propelled the vessel. On its bow was a ram to batter enemy ships.
2....Nineveh: Capital city of the ancient empire of Assyria. Nineveh was on the east bank of the Tigris River in present-day Iraq.
3....Ophir: Fabled land of gold referred to in the Bible in the books of Genesis, Kings, and Chronicles. Evidence indicates that Ophir was in India, Africa, or Pakistan. Israel's King Solomon received cargoes of riches from Ophir. 
4....Palestine: In ancient times, a region on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean that included parts of modern Israel and Jordan. It was occupied first by Canaanites and later by Hebrews and Philistines. After Hebrew tribes united, they defeated the Canaanites and later the Philistines and formed the nation of Israel under King David. Solomon, David's son, succeeded him. 
5....galleon: Three- or four-masted sailing vessel used to wage war and haul cargo. It was developed between 1400 and 1600. Spain and Portugal built the largest ships of this type.
6....Isthmus: Strip of land in a body of water that connects two large land masses. In the poem, Isthmus refers to the Isthmus of Panama, which connects North and South America. 
7....amethyst: Purple variety of the mineral quartz, valued as a semiprecious gem.
8....topazes: Gems formed from a hard mineral. Topaz may be colorless, like a diamond, or yellow, blue, brown, or in rare instances red. Heat treatments can change its color.
9....moidores: Gold coins minted by Portugal, beginning in about 1640.
10..coaster: Vessel that ferries cargo and passengers from one point to another along a coast.
11. salt-caked: Caked with salt from the sea. 
12. Channel: English Channel, between England and France. The French call it La Manche (The Sleeve). 
13. Tyne: River in northern England formed in Northumberland from the confluence of the North Tyne River and the South Tyne River. As it flows to the North Sea, it passes through coal fields. Ships plying the Tyne frequently carried coal. 
14. Pig-Lead: Crude lead extracted from ore and poured from a smelting furnace into an oblong mold to form a block of lead known as a pig.