Sergey
"Leave her Johnny, leave her" - please help traslate some lines
Dear italki users,
I'm trying to translate the song "Leave her Johnny, leave her" but there are two lines I don't understand. Could you please explain their meaning?
I can't understand the lines:
1) She shipped it green and none went by (I don't understand both "shipped it green" and "none went by"
2) We swear by rote for want of more (I don't understand 'swear by rote', and 'want of more' means 'because we didn't have more' if I'm not mistaken)
Here is the context:
Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
She shipped it green and none went by
And it's time for us to leave her
We swear by rote for want of more
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her!"
But now we're through so we'll go on shore
And it's time for us to leave her
Thank you!
P. S.: I do understand that "her" is the ship
2020年1月7日 11:16
回答 · 4
1
Poetry is often subject to individual interpretation, so others may have a different takeaway, but to me, "leave her, Johnny, leave her" in the context of the struggles from the poem means that Johnny should move on to the next thing and stop trying to captain the boat.
2020年1月7日
Jack, thank you very much!
2020年3月16日
Shipping means taking anything onto the deck of the ship. Green water is high waves (they have to be high to appear green. Shipping green means having high waves break on the deck of the ship. None went by means every large wave they saw hit the ship.
By rote means to memory or by heart swear by rote implies that they've sworn this many a time in this case they are saying they don't have enough I believe it's implied they don't have enough men or supplies by other verses
2020年3月15日
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