Horse Latitudes is the fifth song on the The Doors’ album, Strange Days. It is basically a recited poem by Jim Morrison, telling of a ship at sea forced to jetison the onboard horses in order to lighten their load. This is one of the first poems that Jim Morrison ever wrote. He was inspired by a book cover he saw at a book store as a child.
Horse latitudes are sea- bound latitudes that provided fatal conditions for livestock aboard ships.The poem was based on the events of where a sailor named Ferdinand Magellan encountered a small tropical hurricane off the coast of east Africa. A total of 227 horses had to be cast over the side of the ship. To this day, that area of the ocean is known as, “The Horse Latitudes.”
Horse Latitudes
by Jim Morrison
When the still sea conspires an armor,
And her sullen and aborted,
currents breed tiny monsters,
True sailing is dead.
Awkward instant,
And the first animal is jettisoned,
Legs furiously pumping,
Their stiff green gallop,
And heads bob up,
Poise
Delicate
Pause
Consent
In mute nostril agony,
Carefully refined,
And sealed over.
“If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.”
~ Jim Morrison (1943-1971)
[mp3j track=”horselatitudes.mp3″]
Link back to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita’s page
Horse Latitudes [New Stereo Mix] (Advanced Resolution) – The Doors
|
|
This is so full of fright and agony! He conveyed it perfectly. Good poet! Very interesting introduction.
|
|
|
Oh it leaves me cold and clamy and I want to survive instinct great peom thanks laurita
|
 |
whoa…hadn’t heard of the story but very sad
|
 |
I’ve heard a lot of the Doors and Morrison…………….but I’ve never heard this, how very very sad. This leaves a horrible vision of all those beautiful horses desperately trying to stay afloat and all dying in the sea………….truly truly horrible
|
|
|
PS check title this page.
|
 |
I had never hear this either.. I plan on making sure my granddaughter sees this post.. very sad
|
|
Madelene did not know who Jim Morrison was.. but she was appalled that they did this. She loves her horses.
|
 |
Alas but there is no alternative if livestock is carried. Man’s best friend is disposable when the chips are down. Something I have comment on recently. If the eyes of anything can instil love, then most certainly the horse comes first. Thank you.
|
|
|
I’ve heard this song and story often. I grew up on an island known for ponies who are legend to have arrived that way. It was part of the romance and lure of the island. A place where the ship wrecked ponies found refuge. (www.chincoteague.com) Thank you for a small memory of home.
|
|
Thanks for the visit…………..and yes, very strange that we both showed The doors at the same time.
|
 |
Ironic, but I recently read a book in which this was discussed first person by the man (possibly a slave) who had been brought aboard to tend to the horses. In this particular case the horses were on board to actually pull the ship when it became bogged down in the doldrums. The horses were off loaded by a crane, hooked into harnesses and swam ahead of the ship pulling it after them until the wind freshened again. The sad part was that when they were able to sail on their own again, they just cut the harnesses and sailed off without the horses rather than take the time to load them back aboard the ship by crane. The man responsible for the horses recalled how he stood on the fantail (back) of the ship and watched the horses getting farther and farther behind and his emotions as he made eye contact with them.
|
 |
 The sad part was that when they were able to sail on their own again, they just cut the harnesses and sailed off without the horses rather than take the time to load them back aboard the ship by crane. The man responsible for the horses recalled how he stood on the fantail (back) of the ship and watched the horses getting farther and farther behind and his emotions as he made eye contact with them. 
This is so depressing, but thanks for commenting as always, Tim.
|
|
|
Add a Comment
Comments
Poetry Wednesday 01/28/09: Horse Latitudes — No Comments
HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>