Virgil, I love that poem. I have read it before. I reminds me also of this poem by Robert Browning:
Virgil, I am not sure I agree with you on the idea of a Viking ship. It could be that Lawrence aludes to any type of ship or one of his own making. I think the ship is less specific and more symbolic of Lawrence himself being conveyed by a simplistic little boat. I still hold by the idea of the Etruscan's. I can't find my book, but I distinctly recall Lawrence pointing out the idea of the boats conveying the dead to the after-life. He respected the humbleness of the Etruscans and how they were usually not in the fore of history, such as the Greeks and Roman's were; more the idea of a lost civilization, that Lawrence felt this affinity to. I don't think in the end, he would be thinking of the Vikings, as much as the Etruscan's and their lost civilization. I will try to dig up some more to support this idea.Prospice by Robert Browning
Fear death?--to feel the fog in my throat,
The mist in my face,
When the snows begin, and the blasts denote
I am nearing the place,
The power of the night, the press of the storm,
The post of the foe;
Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form;
Yet the strong man must go:
For the journey is done and the summit attained,
And the barriers fall,
Though a battle's to fight ere the guerdon be gained,
The reward of it all.
I was ever a fighter, so--one fight more,
The best and the last!
I would hate that Death bandaged my eyes, and forbore,
And made me creep past.
No! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers,
The heroes of old,
Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arrears
Of pain, darkness and cold.
For sudden the worst turns the best to the brave.
The black minute's at end,
And the elements' rage, the fiend voices that rave,
Shall dwindle, shall blend,
Shall change, shall become first a peace out of pain.
Then a light, then thy breat,
O thou soul of my soul! I shall clasp thee again,
And with God be the rest!
Virgil, I do find that your contrast of Hamlet and Lawrence is quite an interesting paragraph and thought. I had not thought about it quite that way, but I think you are right-on with the differences.
So, do you think Oats is accurate in the interpretation of the poem? I felt it was quite insightful. I wish to read the rest of the commentaries I found online. Wow, this is a really good discussion. I also need to review all that has been written in this thread so far.