James Thomas Fields (1817 - 1881) was an American publisher and author. His most famous work is titled Yesterdays with Authors, in which he recorded his personal friendship with William Wordsworth, William Makepeace Thackeray, Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and others. Some of his most enjoyable poems are The Owl Critic and The Lucky Horseshoe.
James Thomas Fields shared close friendship with William Wordsworth.
We were crowded in the cabin,
Not a soul would dare to sleep,-
It was midnight on the waters,
And a storm was on the deep.
'Tis a fearful thing in winter
To be shattered by the blast,
And to hear the rattling trumpet
Thunder, 'Cut away the mast!'
So we shuddered there in silence,-
For the stoutest held his breath,
While the hungry sea was roaring
And the breakers talked with death.
As thus we sat in darkness
Each one busy with his prayers,
'We are lost!' the captain shouted,
As he staggered down the stairs.
But his little daughter whispered,
As she took his icy hand,
'Isn't God upon the ocean,
Just the same as on the land?'
Then we kissed the little maiden,
And we spake in better cheer,
And we anchored safe in harbor
When the morn was shining clear.
Why were the people crowded in the cabin?
How did the sailors restore their hope?
Who inspired the desperate captain and how?
Why did the sailors shudder in silence?
Even though the captain shouted 'we are lost', still they reached the harbour safely. How?
What do you think is the message of the poem?