The seamen1 hold up the Edifice2. They have been holding it up in the past and they will hold it up in the future, whatever this future may contain of logical development, of unforeseen new shapes, of great promises and of dangers still unknown.
It is not an unpardonable stretching of the truth to say that the British Empire rests on transportation. I am speaking now naturally of the sea, as a man who has lived on it for many years, at a time, too, when on sighting a vessel3 on the horizon of any of the great oceans it was perfectly4 safe to bet any reasonable odds5 on her being a British ship — with the certitude of making a pretty good thing of it at the end of the voyage.
I have tried to convey here in popular terms the strong impression remembered from my young days. The Red Ensign prevailed on the high seas to such an extent that one always experienced a slight shock on seeing some other combination of colours blow out at the peak or flag-pole of any chance encounter in deep water. In the long run the persistence6 of the visual fact forced upon the mind a half-unconscious sense of its inner significance. We have all heard of the well-known view that trade follows the flag. And that is not always true. There is also this truth that the flag, in normal conditions, represents commerce to the eye and understanding of the average man. This is a truth, but it is not the whole truth. In its numbers and in its unfailing ubiquity, the British Red Ensign, under which naval7 actions too have been fought, adventures entered upon and sacrifices offered, represented in fact something more than the prestige of a great trade.
The flutter of that piece of red bunting showered sentiment on the nations of the earth. I will not venture to say that in every case that sentiment was of a friendly nature. Of hatred8, half concealed9 or concealed not at all, this is not the place to speak; and indeed the little I have seen of it about the world was tainted10 with stupidity and seemed to confess in its very violence the extreme poorness of its case. But generally it was more in the nature of envious11 wonder qualified12 by a half-concealed admiration13.
That flag, which but for the union Jack14 in the corner might have been adopted by the most radical15 of revolutions, affirmed in its numbers the stability of purpose, the continuity of effort and the greatness of Britain’s opportunity pursued steadily16 in the order and peace of the world: that world which for twenty-five years or so after 1870 may be said to have been living in holy calm and hushed silence with only now and then a slight clink of metal, as if in some distant part of mankind’s habitation some restless body had stumbled over a heap of old armour17.
2.
We who have learned by now what a world-war is like may be excused for considering the disturbances18 of that period as insignificant19 brawls20, mere21 hole-and-corner scuffles. In the world, which memory depicts22 as so wonderfully tranquil23 all over, it was the sea yet that was the safest place. And the Red Ensign, commercial, industrial, historic, pervaded24 the sea! Assertive25 only by its numbers, highly significant, and, under its character of a trade — emblem26, nationally expressive27, it was symbolic28 of old and new ideas, of conservatism and progress, of routine and enterprise, of drudgery29 and adventure — and of a certain easy-going optimism that would have appeared the Father of Sloth30 itself if it had not been so stubbornly, so everlastingly31 active.
The unimaginative, hard-working men, great and small, who served this flag afloat and ashore32, nursed dumbly a mysterious sense of its greatness. It sheltered magnificently their vagabond labours under the sleepless33 eye of the sun. It held up the Edifice. But it crowned it too. This is not the extravagance of a mixed metaphor34. It is the sober expression of a not very complex truth. Within that double function the national life that flag represented so well went on in safety, assured of its daily crust of bread for which we all pray and without which we would have to give up faith, hope and charity, the intellectual conquests of our minds and the sanctified strength of our labouring arms. I may permit myself to speak of it in these terms because as a matter of fact it was on that very symbol that I had founded my life and (as I have said elsewhere in a moment of outspoken36 gratitude) had known for many years no other roof above my head.
In those days that symbol was not particularly regarded. Superficially and definitely it represented but one of the forms of national activity rather remote from the close-knit organisations of other industries, a kind of toil37 not immediately under the public eye. It was of its Navy that the nation, looking out of the windows of its world-wide Edifice, was proudly aware. And that was but fair. The Navy is the armed man at the gate. An existence depending upon the sea must be guarded with a jealous, sleepless vigilance, for the sea is but a fickle38 friend.
It had provoked conflicts, encouraged ambitions, and had lured39 some nations to destruction — as we know. He — man or people — who, boasting of long years of familiarity with the sea, neglects the strength and cunning of his right hand is a fool. The pride and trust of the nation in its Navy so strangely mingled40 with moments of neglect, caused by a particularly thick-headed idealism, is perfectly justified41. It is also very proper: for it is good for a body of men conscious of a great responsibility to feel themselves recognised, if only in that fallible, imperfect and often irritating way in which recognition is sometimes offered to the deserving.
But the Merchant Service had never to suffer from that sort of irritation42. No recognition was thrust on it offensively, and, truth to say, it did not seem to concern itself unduly43 with the claims of its own obscure merit. It had no consciousness. It had no words. It had no time. To these busy men their work was but the ordinary labour of earning a living; their duties in their ever-recurring round had, like the sun itself, the commonness of daily things; their individual fidelity44 was not so much united as merely co-ordinated by an aim that shone with no spiritual lustre45. They were everyday men. They were that, eminently46. When the great opportunity came to them to link arms in response to a supreme47 call they received it with characteristic simplicity48, incorporating self-sacrifice into the texture49 of their common task, and, as far as emotion went, framing the horror of mankind’s catastrophic time within the rigid50 rules of their professional conscience. And who can say that they could have done better than this?
Such was their past both remote and near. It has been stubbornly consistent, and as this consistency51 was based upon the character of men fashioned by a very old tradition, there is no doubt that it will endure. Such changes as came into the sea life have been for the main part mechanical and affecting only the material conditions of that inbred consistency. That men don’t change is a profound truth. They don’t change because it is not necessary for them to change even if they could accomplish that miracle. It is enough for them to be infinitely52 adaptable53 — as the last four years have abundantly proved.
3
Thus one may await the future without undue54 excitement and with unshaken confidence. Whether the hues55 of sunrise are angry or benign56, gorgeous or sinister57, we shall always have the same sky over our heads. Yet by a kindly58 dispensation of Providence59 the human faculty60 of astonishment61 will never lack food. What could be more surprising for instance, than the calm invitation to Great Britain to discard the force and protection of its Navy? It has been suggested, it has been proposed — I don’t know whether it has been pressed. Probably not much. For if the excursions of audacious folly62 have no bounds that human eye can see, reason has the habit of never straying very far away from its throne.
It is not the first time in history that excited voices have been heard urging the warrior63 still panting from the fray64 to fling his tried weapons on the altar of peace, for they would be needed no more! And such voices have been, in undying hope or extreme weariness, listened to sometimes. But not for long. After all every sort of shouting is a transitory thing. It is the grim silence of facts that remains65.
The British Merchant Service has been challenged in its supremacy66 before. It will be challenged again. It may be even asked menacingly in the name of some humanitarian67 doctrine68 or some empty ideal to step down voluntarily from that place which it has managed to keep for so many years. But I imagine that it will take more than words of brotherly love or brotherly anger (which, as is well known, is the worst kind of anger) to drive British seamen, armed or unarmed, from the seas. Firm in this indestructible if not easily explained conviction, I can allow myself to think placidly69 of that long, long future which I shall not see.
My confidence rests on the hearts of men who do not change, though they may forget many things for a time and even forget to be themselves in a moment of false enthusiasm. But of that I am not afraid. It will not be for long. I know the men. Through the kindness of the Admiralty (which, let me confess here in a white sheet, I repaid by the basest ingratitude) I was permitted during the war to renew my contact with the British seamen of the merchant service. It is to their generosity70 in recognising me under the shore rust35 of twenty-five years as one of themselves that I owe one of the deepest emotions of my life. Never for a moment did I feel among them like an idle, wandering ghost from a distant past. They talked to me seriously, openly, and with professional precision, of facts, of events, of implements71, I had never heard of in my time; but the hands I grasped were like the hands of the generation which had trained my youth and is now no more. I recognised the character of their glances, the accent of their voices. Their moving tales of modern instances were presented to me with that peculiar72 turn of mind flavoured by the inherited humour and sagacity of the sea. I don’t know what the seaman73 of the future will be like. He may have to live all his days with a telephone tied up to his head and bristle74 all over with scientific antennae75 like a figure in a fantastic tale. But he will always be the man revealed to us lately, immutable76 in his slight variations like the closed path of this planet of ours on which he must find his exact position once, at the very least, in every twenty-four hours.
The greatest desideratum of a sailor’s life is to be “certain of his position.” It is a source of great worry at times, but I don’t think that it need be so at this time. Yet even the best position has its dangers on account of the fickleness77 of the elements. But I think that, left untrammelled to the individual effort of its creators and to the collective spirit of its servants, the British Merchant Service will manage to maintain its position on this restless and watery78 globe.
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1
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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tainted
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| adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏 | |
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envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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brawls
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| 吵架，打架( brawl的名词复数 ) | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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depicts
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| 描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述 | |
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tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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assertive
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| adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的 | |
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emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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drudgery
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| n.苦工，重活，单调乏味的工作 | |
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30
sloth
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| n.[动]树懒；懒惰，懒散 | |
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everlastingly
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| 永久地，持久地 | |
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32
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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rust
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| n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退 | |
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outspoken
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| adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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fickle
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| adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的 | |
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lured
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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42
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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unduly
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| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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45
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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48
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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49
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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50
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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51
consistency
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| n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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adaptable
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| adj.能适应的，适应性强的，可改编的 | |
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undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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55
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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benign
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| adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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humanitarian
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| n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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placidly
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| adv.平稳地，平静地 | |
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generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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antennae
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| n.天线；触角 | |
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immutable
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| adj.不可改变的，永恒的 | |
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fickleness
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| n.易变；无常；浮躁；变化无常 | |
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watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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