The North Ship
Encyclopedia
The North Ship is a collection of poems by Philip Larkin
(1922-1985), and was published in 1945 by Reginald A. Caton
's Fortune Press. It was reissued in 1966 by Faber and Faber
Limited. In the 1945 version there are 31 items, numbered with Roman numerals. The last of these, "The North Ship" is a set of five poems tracking a ship's northward progress. Of the 30 single poems, only seven have titles. Some of the poems were composed while Larkin was an undergraduate at the University of Oxford
, but the bulk were written in the period 1943 to 1944 when he was running the public library in Wellington, Shropshire
and writing his second novel A Girl in Winter.
In the 1966 reissue an extra poem, "Waiting for breakfast, while she brushed her hair" was added at the end. This edition is still in print.
The North Ship constitutes the first part of the 2003 edition of Larkin's Collected Poems
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
(1922-1985), and was published in 1945 by Reginald A. Caton
Reginald Caton
Reginald Ashley Caton was an English publisher, variously described as 'eccentric', 'raffish', a 'miser' and a 'rogue publisher'. He appears as a literary character, especially in novels by Kingsley Amis....
's Fortune Press. It was reissued in 1966 by Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber
Faber and Faber Limited, often abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in the UK, notable in particular for publishing a great deal of poetry and for its former editor T. S. Eliot. Faber has a rich tradition of publishing a wide range of fiction, non fiction, drama, film and music...
Limited. In the 1945 version there are 31 items, numbered with Roman numerals. The last of these, "The North Ship" is a set of five poems tracking a ship's northward progress. Of the 30 single poems, only seven have titles. Some of the poems were composed while Larkin was an undergraduate at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, but the bulk were written in the period 1943 to 1944 when he was running the public library in Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
and writing his second novel A Girl in Winter.
In the 1966 reissue an extra poem, "Waiting for breakfast, while she brushed her hair" was added at the end. This edition is still in print.
The North Ship constitutes the first part of the 2003 edition of Larkin's Collected Poems
Collected Poems – 2003 edition (Philip Larkin)
This volume, edited by Anthony Thwaite, contains all of Philip Larkin's poetry published during his lifetime. It consists of the contents of The North Ship, The Less Deceived, The Whitsun Weddings and High Windows in their original ordering, plus two appendices containing all the other poems Larkin...
Content
The book contains 32 poems:- Ellipsis (...) indicates first line of an untitled poem
| Sequence | |Poem title or first line | |
|---|---|---|
| I | All catches alight... | |
| II | This was your place of birth, this daytime palace... | |
| III | The moon is full tonight... | |
| IV | Dawn | |
| V | Conscript | |
| VI | Kick up the fire, and let the flames break loose... | |
| VII | The horns of the morning... | |
| VIII | Winter | |
| IX | Climbing the hill within the deafening wind... | |
| X | Within the dream you said... | |
| XI | Night-Music | |
| XII | Like the train's beat... | |
| XIII | I put my mouth... | |
| XIV | Nursery Tale | |
| XV | The Dancer | |
| XVI | The bottle is drunk out by one... | |
| XVII | To write one song, I said... | |
| XVIII | If grief could burn out... | |
| XIX | Ugly Sister | |
| XX | I see a girl dragged by the wrists... | |
| XXI | I dreamed of an out-thrust arm of land... | |
| XXII | One man walking a deserted platform... | |
| XXIII | If hands could free you, heart... | |
| XXIV | Love, we must part now: do not let it be... | |
| XXV | Morning has spread again... | |
| XXVI | This is the first thing... | |
| XXVII | Heaviest of flowers, the head... | |
| XXVIII | Is it for now or for always... | |
| XXIX | Pour away that youth... | |
| XXX | So through that unripe day you bore your head... | |
| XXXI | The North Ship | Legend Songs 65° N 70° N Fortunetelling 75° N Blizzard Above 80° N |
| XXXII | Waiting for breakfast, while she brushed her hair... | |
See also
- List of poems by Philip Larkin – a complete list of all the known poems, both published and unpublished, and their date of composition