- description
- # THE FIGURE-HEAD
## Overview
"THE FIGURE-HEAD" is a chapter of poetry, extracted from the text file "john_marr_and_other_poems.txt". It is part of the larger collection titled "[John Marr and Other Poems](arke:01KG8AJ5CWVMSM9AY2938E996H)". The chapter contains a poem of the same title, detailing the figurehead of a ship named the _Charles-and-Emma_.
## Context
This chapter is one of many within the collection "[John Marr and Other Poems](arke:01KG8AJ5CWVMSM9AY2938E996H)", which itself is part of the "[Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)" collection. The poem was extracted from the file "john_marr_and_other_poems.txt". It follows the chapter "[THE MAN-OF-WAR HAWK](arke:01KG8AJFS7MST5YGB6PBMYY2W0)" and precedes "[THE GOOD CRAFT _SNOW BIRD_](arke:01KG8AJFS9X3Z54FC20Z1A4Z7J)".
## Contents
The chapter contains the poem "THE FIGURE-HEAD". The poem describes a ship's figurehead, depicting a man and a woman, presumably named Charles and Emma. It recounts how the elements and wear and tear affected the carved figures, and concludes with their eventual destruction upon a reef during a stormy night. The poem uses imagery of the sea, weather, and the ship's structure to convey its narrative.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:08.696Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- THE FIGURE-HEAD
- end_line
- 1233
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:47:32.310Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 1210
- text
- THE FIGURE-HEAD
The _Charles-and-Emma_ seaward sped,
(Named from the carven pair at prow,)
He so smart, and a curly head,
She tricked forth as a bride knows how:
Pretty stem for the port, I trow!
But iron-rust and alum-spray
And chafing gear, and sun and dew
Vexed this lad and lassie gay,
Tears in their eyes, salt tears nor few;
And the hug relaxed with the failing glue.
But came in end a dismal night,
With creaking beams and ribs that groan,
A black lee-shore and waters white:
Dropped on the reef, the pair lie prone:
O, the breakers dance, but the winds they moan!
- title
- THE FIGURE-HEAD