One of the delights of homeschooling is all the small places you can tuck in some thing fun. This year we are doing Narnia at Lunch (Narnia at Noon,anyone?). I am taking them through in publication order as a milestone marker in our day.
The kids aren’t sure why the numbers on the shelves don’t match, so I’m hoping to get through round one by Christmas. And then we’ll reread chronologically in January. We are part way through The Horse and His Boy.
But as we were reading the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the Dark Island was a little more clear.
At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the fog it came;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.
It ate the food it ne'er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steered us through!
And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariner's hollo!
In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white Moon-shine.’
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is famous for “Water water everywhere,
nor any drop to drink.”
But the whole mad tale of guilt and terror, woes and grace is an interesting countermelody to Dawn Treader— the book where the waves grow sweet.
The Inklings have an fun habit of reinventing classics to suit the word play or story better. I like the idea of Lewis meeting Coleridge’s Mariner then thinking up a story that gives him rest, his friends, and a feast near sweet water.
Lewis loves obedience. It always brings a greater reward, a more unforeseen gift. It is Diggory planting the apple, only to receive the right fruit for his mother. Or the Lady staying on the unfixed land in Perlandra because you don't know the good that comes from it. Lord Rhoop doesn't kill this albatross, he is not singly marked by his blood. Everyone follows it instead and that changes the story.
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The funny thing is I can’t find any connection online between Lewis and Coleridge, Narnia and the Rime. One guy on a blog talks about the Albatross as a reference shared, but no reflections across the odysseys.
So if you have a book, I would enjoy a recommendation.
Further Up and Further In
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