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Nautical Term??

09 Jul 06 - 05:40 PM (#1779735)
Subject: "Bring Wave" - Nautical Term??
From: blsmith

Greetings:

Has anyone encountered the term "bring wave?" Here is the reference that I found:

"Come all you jolly sailor lads, that love the cannon's roar,
Your good ship on the bring wave, your lass and glass ashore..."

These are the first two lines of a poem titled The Ballad of the Rover, written by Archibald MacMechan in Nova Scotia around 1920.   It describes the privateering of The Rover out of Liverpool, Nova Scotia, under captain Alex Godfrey.

The full poem and a bit of background is available here:
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~jacktar/roverballad.html

Sounds like "the bring wave" may be a favorable wave, a following sea or a wave that is bringing the ship to its destination. Any ideas or other references?? I like the sound of it!

Thanks,

Bruce


09 Jul 06 - 05:47 PM (#1779741)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: John MacKenzie

Could it be a misprint for briny? Otherwise your idea sounds about right, it's a new one on me though.
Giok


09 Jul 06 - 06:21 PM (#1779784)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)

I think you are right Giok must be briny wave


09 Jul 06 - 06:28 PM (#1779786)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Peace

If it isn't 'briny', then the line doesn't scan properly.


09 Jul 06 - 06:36 PM (#1779790)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Peace

Incidentally, a Google of "bring wave" shows no usage of the term as an adjective/noun construction. (Most show 'bring' as a verb.)

However, "briny wave" brings up scads and oodles. Not conclusive, just indicative.


09 Jul 06 - 06:39 PM (#1779793)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Peace

Archibald McKellar MacMECHAN {CA} (M: 1862 Jun 21 - 1933 Aug 7)
        Concerning The Oldest English Literature [n|1889]
        The Relation Of Hans Sachs To The Decameron [n|1889]
        Vergil [n|1897]
        William Greenwood [b|1914]
        Three Sea Songs [p|1919]
        Old Province Tales.. [s|1924]
        Head-Waters Of Canadian Literature [n|1924]
        The Centenary Of Haliburton's 'Nova Scotia' [n|1930]
        Red Snow On Grand PrĂ© [f|1934]
        Late Harvest [p|1934]


09 Jul 06 - 06:44 PM (#1779796)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Peace

Sorry to sidetrack things:

I take the letters '[n] for example' to mean novel, p to mean poetry, b to mean biography. What would the s and b mean? Any ideas?

Also, I'd bet that when Q sees this thread he'll clear up the 'mystery'. That man IS Canadiana.


09 Jul 06 - 07:01 PM (#1779803)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Malcolm Douglas

The site you quote from ( http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/ ) provides a list of abbreviations.

[a| = 'autobiography'
[b| = 'biography'
[d| = 'drama'
[e| = 'essays'
[f| = 'fiction'
[m| = 'music'
[n| = 'non-fiction'
[p| = 'poetry'
[s| = 'short stories'


09 Jul 06 - 07:05 PM (#1779807)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Peace

Thank you, Malcolm. Sooner or later I might have caught onto that.


09 Jul 06 - 07:09 PM (#1779813)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: blsmith

The Ballad of the Rover was in MacMechan's Three Sea Songs. The [p] makes sense. So does "briny" - it fits much better with the rhyme scheme, although there are some inconsistencies in other stanzas. I have looked at several digital versions of the ballad, and they all use "bring." I will see if I can get a copy of Three Sea Songs through the library and see what his original looked like.

Thanks for the interest and effort.

Bruce


09 Jul 06 - 07:26 PM (#1779825)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Amos

I believe that there is no genuine expression "bring wave". It feels wrong; I would bet on a typo for "briny" getting multiplied by unobservant replicators.

A


10 Jul 06 - 12:43 AM (#1780037)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

"Three Sea Songs," published in 1919, ain't easy to find (not in Calgary libraries, it seems).
'Briny' makes more sense (nothing in the Dana glossary but that is 19th c.).
It could have been a mis-print in the original publication that has just been copied on.


18 Jul 06 - 05:37 PM (#1786669)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: blsmith

It looks like "bring wave" was a typo or misprint. I found a copy of the original print edition of Three Sea Songs (its a small chap-book), and it reads " ... your good ship on a briny wave ..." So it looks like a typo was made somewhere along the line. I know of at least one historical narrative monologue that has used the term "bring wave" -- maybe it will continue on ...

Thanks for the interest and ideas. Hard to fool mudcatters.

Bruce


18 Jul 06 - 06:21 PM (#1786722)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Charley Noble

Excellent work!

Bring on them briny billowing Waves!

Charley Noble


18 Jul 06 - 06:47 PM (#1786762)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: GUEST

I wouldn'y mong a nautical term:-)

A term with a school full of naughty girls...

Ooooooh Aaaaaaah

Cosmo Smallpiece.


18 Jul 06 - 07:10 PM (#1786785)
Subject: RE: Nautical Term??
From: Wincing Devil

Y is caddy-corner next to G on the standard keyboard. I'm used to that, seeing misprints in IM's and such