Harman Patil (Editor)

Submarines (poem)

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"Submarines" is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), and set to music by the English composer Edward Elgar in 1917, as the third of a set of four war-related songs on nautical subjects for which he chose the title "The Fringes of the Fleet".

Contents

Like the others in the cycle, is intended for four baritone voices. It was originally written with orchestral accompaniment, but it was later published to be sung with piano accompaniment.

The composer does not make clear which sections of the song, if any, are to be sung solo or in chorus.

The poem was titled by Kipling Tin Fish.

Poem

The ships destroy us above We arise, we lie down, and we move The ships have a thousand eyes But the mirth of a seaport dies

The musical setting repeats the first stanza.

The Fringes of the Fleet

  • Kipling's book Sea Warfare (1916) republished The Fringes of the Fleet (1915) and included a section Tales of “The Trade" about the Submarine Service. It included a poem titled "The Trade" which started:

    • References

    Submarines (poem) Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA