Bill
John Masefield
1878 to 1967
Track 1
Reconstruct the poem by dragging each line into its correct position. Your goal is to reassemble the original poem as accurately as possible. As you move the lines, you'll see whether your arrangement is correct, helping you explore the poem's flow and meaning. You can also print out the jumbled poem to cut up and reassemble in the classroom. Either way, take your time, enjoy the process, and discover how the poet's words come together to create something truly beautiful.
Easy Mode - Auto check enabled
The mate came forrard at seven bells and spat across the rail:
He lay dead on the cluttered deck and stared at the cold skies,
'It's rough about Bill,' the fo'c's'le said, 'we'll have to stand his wheel.'
When the rising moon was a copper disc and the sea was a strip of steel,
We dumped him down to the swaying weeds ten fathom beneath the keel.
'Just lash him up wi' some holystone in a clout o' rotten sail,
'N', rot ye, get a gait on ye, ye're slower'n a bloody snail!'
With never a friend to mourn for him nor a hand to close his eyes:
'Bill, he's dead,' was all they said; 'he's dead, 'n' there he lies.'