"Dogger. Rockall. Malin, Irish Sea:
Green, swift upsurges, North Atlantic flux
Conjured by that strong gale-warning voice,
Collapse into a sibilant penumbra.
Midnight and closedown. Sirens of the tundra,
Of eel-road, seal-road, keel-road, whale-road, raise
Their wind-compounded keen behind the baize
And drive the trawlers to the lee of Wicklow.
L’Etoile, Le Guiliemot, La Belle Helene
Nursed their bright names this morning in the bay
That toiled like mortar. It was marvellous
And actual, I said out loud, ‘A haven,’
The word deepening, clearing, like the sky
Elsewhere on Minches, Cromarty, The Faroes."
The Shipping Forecast: a beacon of civilization and constancy in a chaotic and troubled world - it really is the aural equivalent of Bach Rescue Remedy!
[If you're interested, the BBC Weather website gives a 'general synopsis' of the Shipping Forecast and can be found here. BBC iPlayer also has links to previous broadcasts (see here for the BBC Radio 4 schedule) but in order to obtain the maximum benefits provided by the Shipping Forecast, I do recommend lying down in a darkened room. Simultaneous consumption of a bottle of rum would also (I'm sure) enhance the seafaring experience, but this has not been tested.]