Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2002 5:31 PM
Subject: Fwd: Aboard The Marine Adder
Hi Mom & all ... One of the rare occasions that Art has included Nathalie's writings--a little like Susan'spoems--but the story of their 1946-47 voyage to Khargpur!! Cheers. Roger Arthur Sanford wrote:
From: arthalie@webtv.net (Arthur Sanford) Date: Fri, 9 Aug 2002 14:43:54 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Aboard The Marine Adder
this was found among things Nathalie has written and Vicky and I thought it so good we needed to share it with all of you; this is of our trip to India leaving USA Dec 23,1946 from San Francisco, and arriving In Kharagpur Jan 25,1947. Creeping along at 3 o'clock. ..Killing time till they would let us dock.. .In Singapore, tomorrow morning.. I started this poem without any warning..
Maybe this thing has gone to my head...
Maybe because I'm almost dead...
With heat, I started, no matter now ....
Nobody cares just why or how..
."Twas last December we put to sea.. .
A motely lot, including me ...
Chinese, Indian, priest and nuns ...
And missionaries with daughters and sons... .
Weeks of waiting with changes of order ...
Had left our party just on the border.. .
Of sanity, and then we were madder ...
When we found we were sailing on the Adder ...
Perhaps it was only the name of the boat ...
Which raised our suspicions and got our goat...
It was when we found that she was just being painted ...
Down below decks that we nearly fainted ...
But, as I was saying, we put to sea...
Out on the ocean we sailed, and we... .
Were destined then, for we could not fail. ..
To become involved in the Adder's tale...
It was just outside the Golden Gate ....
That some were beginning to meet their fate ....
And many were in a more sorry plight ...
Which lasted throughout the livelong night...
But we were truly upon our way ...
Rolling and tossing from day to day ....
But who can describe the perpetual motion ...
In the trail of the Adder across the ocean....
Valiantly Christmas was celebrated. ..
By each according as he rated The Day ...
Some sang Carols with Christmas Gladness.. .
Some drank liquor to drown their sadness..
Some had services and some had Mass.. .
Some had nothing at all, alas.. .
But all ate turkey that night for dinner..
Every saint as well as each sinner ... Not many
days out—in fact it was soon ....
We met head on with a big typhoon ....
And who will forget that terrible night..'
When the engines stopped, giving us all afright .....
That was the night we were hanging on.. .
Tight to our bunks to await the dawn.. .
That was the night that the
P 2
crashes came ... And everything loose played a fiendish game..
Of chasing each other about the boat...
That was the night that the big waves smote ....
And tore a life-boat away from its hanging.. .
And that was the night of the heaviest banging ...
That was the night of broken bones...
But too much motion to hear mere groans... .
And for days it raged--that big typhoon..
Evening and morning and night and noon. ..
Food was plentiful, we saw our rations. .
.Feed the fish without ruminations...
Some ate sitting and some ate standing.. ..
While under the table the dishes were landing...
Now everything at some time is finished ....
There came a time when the storm diminished. ..
And so by this time was going strong...
Cards and Bean pots as well as Mah-jong. ..
Stakes were high and then went higher ...
Until at last when one took a flyer...
He threw himself to the wind and the tide. .
And in the end there was suicide. ..
And there was a man among the Sikhs.. ..
Whose clock ran down at ninety six... .
And on the sea where there are no graves ...
We left his body beneath the waves. ..
Days elastic stretched and grew. ..
Twenty four hours were now too few. .
But somewhere amidst the wind and the weather. ..
We lost a Tuesday altogether. ..
Some were pious and went to meeting.. .
Some were wicked and took to cheating ...
Preferring to stay at the head of the stair ....
incase they had to come up for air.. .
Across the ocean we sailed along.. .
Until at last we reached Hong Kong.. .
Everybody was quite excited.. .
And more than that we were all delighted..
.And now we glide on a sea of oil ...
Sometimes we seethe and sometimes we boil...
But still she is floating just like a bladder. .
This wonderful steamship--The Marine Adder...
NOW I will add: Nathalie added "this is not written for publication but for those of whom I am fond" and as that includes all of you you got it. me
8/11/2002