"John Harrison (24 March 1693 – 24 March 1776) was a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker. He invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought device in solving the problem of establishing the longitude of a ship at sea, thus revolutionising and extending the possibility of safe, long distance sea travel in the Age of Sail. The problem was considered so intractable that the British Parliament offered a prize of £20,000 (comparable to £2.87 million in modern currency) for the solution." -Wikipedia
After watching a particular scene from "Longitude", based on the book by Dava Sobel, I wrote the following piece. The scene takes place between John Harrison and his friend, Lieutenant John Campbell. In a moment of discouragement, Harrison exclaims: "When you're young, you think everything's possible, but as you grow older, you discover that it isn't." Campbell quickly replies, "Well then, don't grow older, Mr. Harrison". Lines like that beg to become folk songs.
"Carpenter of Time"
Standing by the surf,
Watching ships sail on the
tide,
Salt breeze in my hair,
And sailors on my mind;
I think of those who perished
Upon treacherous seas,
But also, I remember those
Saved by a silver watch.
Don't grow older, Mr.
Harrison
As you watch decades fly
On your golden clock tick by,
Keep your sight, hold your
dream-
You are the carpenter of
time.
Measuring longitude,
invisible meridians
Spanning all across the globe
In neat, consistent lines,
Like a football field
Stretched around a sphere.
As we seize and score the
goals
Of peace and war and foes
The lines remain as we redraw
our maps.
Don't grow older, Mr.
Harrison
As you watch decades fly
On your golden clock tick by,
Keep your sight, hold your
dream-
You are the carpenter of
time.
Those who chart the stars
Grow old and lose the time,
Following straight lines,
While you explore the curve.
All truths begin as heresy,
Sheep resent the change,
But shepherds hold the
staffs;
Shepherds lead the herds.
Don't grow older, Mr.
Harrison
As you watch decades fly
On your golden clock tick by,
Keep your sight, hold your
dream-
You are the carpenter of
time.
When you're young,
All things are possible;
Hope's a constant guide,
Love can hold the tide,
Every river may grow wide,
But as seasons drift away,
Doubt impedes ambition.
Vision uses more than just
the eye.
Don't grow older, Mr.
Harrison
As you watch decades fly
On your golden clock tick by,
Keep your sight, hold your
dream-
You are the carpenter of
time.
You are the carpenter of time.
Copyright 2011
