20 Comments
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Johnny Oh's avatar

I haven't read enough Kipling, but reading through with the images was a fine way to spend a morning. Then I expanded the illustrations, and scrolled through them as a slideshow...thus "reading" it again with my eyes. Baron Gloster might have missed a trick.

Cedar Sanderson's avatar

Kipling is long a favorite of mine. And the trick of illustrating is that I'm telling a story in parallel with the original, my own take on it.

AC Young's avatar

If I've read the ending correctly, the owner planned all along to go down with his ship - and his son never realised...

Cedar Sanderson's avatar

That's how I read it, and illustrated it.

Jim in Alaska's avatar

Nicely done!

Frank Nero's avatar

Lovely ... all the illustrations are good additions to the story, but I'm a bit haunted by the "sheet ghost" (Just below the line, 'Tiny she looked on the grating -- that oily, treacly sea --). Not quite ready to go down ... yet? Liked it a lot.

Dale Flowers's avatar

There's no such thing as a TL;DR Kipling. That was wonderfully done, Mrs. Sanderson.

maryh10000's avatar

Does Dickie end up going down with the ship?

Cedar Sanderson's avatar

Strongly implied in the poem, and that’s how I wanted to illustrate it and give him his comeuppance.

maryh10000's avatar

That's what I thought, but when I looked up comments on the poem, it either assumed Dickie would do as told, or concentrated on what an evil capitalist Gloster was. It is really hard, for me at least, to find good commentary on Kipling poetry. They're too busy warning any reader about his bad politics or wrongthink.

Frank Nero's avatar

I've now read it both ways now ... Dickie goes back, cash in hand ... and Dickie goes down with the ship. He learns about Death first hand, kind of thing.

Cedar Sanderson's avatar

Oof, this is why I avoid looking at the commentaries.

Debra Reynolds's avatar

Delightful, thank you!

The Scuttlebutt's avatar

damn I feel that sometimes

Cedar Sanderson's avatar

I feel it, too. And hugs.

The Scuttlebutt's avatar

right back at'cha dear.

Codex redux's avatar

Chesterton and now Kipling. You're on a fine roll.

Karen Myers's avatar

Splendid, both Kipling and what you've made of it.

David Perlmutter's avatar

I really enjoy poems that tell stories- and Kipling was a master at that.