HELP: Bishop - thwarts, strings, gunnels

[Tom Priestly]

Anna,
I think my memory serves me right: when I was rowing in a college
boat in England in the 1950s, the rowlocks were not fixed to the
gunwales/sides of the boat; they (the rowlocks) were  loose, so that
if one rower mishandled his oar [only males rowed competetively, as I
recall] the mishap was localized, rather than potentially leading to
rocking the boat, and the rowlock could even come out of its mount.
However, so that it might not fall over the side into the river, it
was attached by a piece of thin rope to the gunwale.
As to 'rowlocks' versus 'oarlocks', this may be a British versus US
thing. So also for the spelling of 'gunwale/gunnel' which I may have
wrong.
I like the poem!
Tom

>
>
>The dictionaries give "banka na grebnoy shlyupke" for "thwart" and
>"planshir" for "gunnel". It still remains obscure for me but "oarlocks on
>their strings" are totally beyond my understanding.
>
>I would be very grateful for any ideas as it is rather urgent.
>
>Best,
>Anna
>
>-


--
=========================
Prof. Emeritus Tom Priestly
Modern Languages & Cultural Studies
University of Alberta
Edmonton AB
Canada T6E 1E6
phone 780-469-2920
fax 780-492-9106
e-mail: tom.priestly at ualberta.ca
http://myprofile.cos.com/priestlt69
=========================

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