BETTY WHITAKER JACKSON
Thanks, Christopher Columbus
Remember the rhyme we learned in grade school? “In 1400 and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”? We heard about early voyages by Italians, Portuguese, Spanish, and more recently by Chinese and Muslims. The “Age of Discovery” inspires us to think about all the discoveries mankind has made throughout the ages.
It comes as no surprise that we have idealized many of these “old stories,” and now critics try to negate the courage and bravery it took to explore lands separated by wide oceans. Then there were dastardly acts of conquering and colonization that tried to negate the immense achievements of those early explorers.
Can you imagine being “cooped up” on the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria for three months, all the while not knowing where you were or where you were going or if you’d ever get back home again? Their achievements certainly deserve celebration.
Poets have long told the story. Here are some examples:
(https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3144October 13: 5:36 a.m.)
By Jean Marzollo
In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.
He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.
A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.
Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.
Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.
Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.
October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!
“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.
But “India” the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.
The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.
Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he’d been told.
He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.
The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.
(https://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=3144
October 13: 5:36 a.m.
https://poemanalysis.com/in-1492-columbus-sailed-the-ocean-blue/)
In another poetic version:
Columbus
Cincinnatus Hiner Miller, a.k.a. his pen name Joaquin Miller
Behind him lay the gray Azores,
Behind the Gates of Hercules;
Before him not the ghost of shores,
Before him only shoreless seas.
The good mate said: “Now we must pray,
For lo! the very stars are gone.
Brave Admiral, speak, what shall I say?”
“Why, say, ‘Sail on! sail on! and on!’
“”My men grow mutinous day by day;
My men grow ghastly wan and weak.
“The stout mate thought of home; a spray
Of salt wave washed his swarthy cheek.
“What shall I say, brave Admiral, say,
If we sight naught but seas at dawn?”
“Why, you shall say at break of day,
‘Sail on! sail on! and on!’
“They sailed and sailed, as winds might blow,
Until at last the blanched mate said:
“Why, now not even God would know
Should I and all my men fall dead.
These very winds forget their way,
For God from these dead seas is gone.
Now speak, brave Admiral, speak and say” —
He said, “Sail on! sail on! and on!
“They sailed. They sailed. Then spake the mate:
“This mad sea shows his teeth tonight.
He curls his lip, he lies in wait,
With lifted teeth, as if to bite!Brave
Admiral, say but one good word:
What shall we do when hope is gone?
“The words leapt like a leaping sword:
“Sail on! sail on! sail on! and on!”
Then pale and worn, he kept his deck,
And peered through darkness. Ah, that night
Of all dark nights! And then a speck —
A light! a light! at last a light!
It grew, a starlit flag unfurled!
It grew to be Time’s burst of dawn.
He gained a world; he gave that world
Its grandest lesson: “On! sail on!”
(https://poemanalysis.com/joaquin-miller/columbus/) October 14, 6:05 a.m.)
However, celebration of this day has had a sordid history. There was antagonism against Italians, there was a spirit of conquest, there was domination of those already here, and ore recently, there is denial of Christopher Columbus’s achievement, a tarnishment of his amazing courage.
Even the song we joyfully learned as teachers tried to ignite the joys of discovery and encouragement of future leaders in innovation to “think big.” Here’s the more recent text of that innocent, though highly idealized version of Columbus’s feat, denying Columbus’s achievement in favor of treating this day as Indigenous People’s Day.
1492 by Nancy Schimmel
In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue,
It was a courageous thing to do
But someone was already here.
Columbus knew the world was round
So he looked for the East
while westward bound,
But he didn’t find what he thought he found,
And someone was already here.
Chorus:
The Inuit and Cherokee,
The Aztec and Menominee,
The Onandaga and the Cree;
Columbus sailed across the sea,
But someone was already here.
It isn’t like it was empty space,
Caribs met him face to face.
Could anyone discover the place
When someone was already here?
Chorus
So tell me, who discovered what?
He thought he was in a different spot.
Columbus was lost,
the Caribs were not;
They were already here
(www.youtube.com › watchIndigenous Peoples Day “1492 Song” – YouTube October 14, 6:18 a.m.)
I can’t help but think that critics of historic events are far less courageous than those who had dreams, achieved them, and focused on the art of discovery. Tearing down others’ achievements is rampant in our day and age. Just witness the denials of our history and champions who used their God-given talents and genius to invent, to discover, to lead, and to lead the way for others to follow.
For a list of recently vandalized and removed, go to https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/502492-list-statues-toppled-vandalized-removed-protests/
Salient to this day’s celebration:
Boston A Christopher Columbus statue was beheaded by protesters on June 10. The city later removed the damaged statue. (2020)
Another: Miami Protesters vandalized the statues of Christopher Columbus and Juan Ponce de Leon on June 10, spray painting a hammer and sickle, Black Lives Matter fists and more. Miami Police arrested seven suspects.
Another: Pittsburgh A statue of Christopher Columbus was vandalized on June 12. It was reportedly vandalized multiple times before the recent protests.
Another: A school teacher and two others were arrested after they allegedly vandalized a statue of Columbus on June 13. All three suspects were charged with desecration of a grave/monument and conspiracy.
Another: Richmond, VA June 10 a statue of Christopher Columbus was taken down and thrown into a nearby lake.
Another: Sacramento, Calif. State lawmakers announced on June 17 that statues of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella would be removed from the Capitol rotunda.
“Christopher Columbus is a deeply polarizing historical figure given the deadly impact his arrival in this hemisphere had on indigenous populations,” Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins (D), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D) and Assembly Rules Chairman Ken Cooley (D) said in a joint statement.
I guess I’m wondering if in future times, the modern inventors and visionaries of our time will be vilified by others who have achieved nothing but the “joy” of ruining lives of others by misguided ideology or political gain. What will they say about inventors of vaccines, space-age discoveries no less bold than Columbus’s dangerous mission, or leaders who dared to attempt to negotiate peace and bring people together?
I trust that teachers still invite students to dream, to experiment and seek answers, and to invent, explore, and wonder. For, it seems to me, that the more we learn, the more we should seek to learn, and exploration still has much to contribute to those who follow us.
Without this age of discovery celebrated today, we would not have so much of what we enjoy in our time. In time, we will conquer cancer, we will explore space, we will discover the bounty of our oceans, we will defeat hurricane’s power and steer them away. All it takes is the wisdom, the planning, the determination, and the prayers of explorers like Christopher Columbus.
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