> "The main-top mast, from head to heel, was shivered into a thousand splinters..."
I hadn't realised the origin (presumably) of the stereotypical naval saying "shiver me timbers" was from lightning striking masts.
I hadn't realised the origin (presumably) of the stereotypical naval saying "shiver me timbers" was from lightning striking masts.
A large wooden sailing vessel does make some odd noises in a big sea. When it crests a wave and the bow (pointy end) smacks down and the next 20+' wave looks rather large and you wish you were a better person ....
I could go on but you don't need lightning to shiver your timbers 8)
shivered, ppl. a.
(ˈʃɪvəd)
[f. shiver v.1 + -ed1.]
Broken, shattered.
1542 Wyatt Poems, ‘The furious gun’, The furyous gonne‥cracketh in sonder: and in the ayer doeth rore the shevered peces.
1621 G. Sandys Ovid's Met. v. (1626) 90 And through his flesh the shiuered bones arise.
1764 Gray Welsh Fragm., Conan 8 As the thunder's fiery stroke, Glancing on the shiver'd oak.
1815 Scott Ld. of Isles iii. xii, Where Coolin stoops him to the west, They saw upon his shiver'd crest The sun's arising gleam.
1897 F. Thompson New Poems 221 Like shivered moonlight on long waters.
Here's two from 1797, both describing the same storm: "the old poor houſe was tremendously ſtruck by the lightning; the roof was entirely torn off and demoliſhed, the window frames driven in and ſhivered to pieces" and "The ship Elizabeth, retaken by the Alcmene, had her fore-top-mast shivered; as was an oak, a foot in diameter, in Yatton Church-yard."
(Do you have access to the OED via a fairly cheap route? That's something I'd really like to have).
For example: a person might be sundered. That is not quite the same as shivered or shattered. However I will grant that: alliteratively, they all fall within the same vein.
Words like these is why poetry are possible or even viable. (Soz).
That's quite hard to translate into modern English despite all the words being fairly obvious. I'm not too sure about "in sonder" but I'll go for "like thunder".
"The furious gun cracked like thunder: and in the ear it roared across the shattered peace"
However, I prefer the sound of the original.
With almost supernatural power, the Gonne can possess the mind of the man who uses it. It shows him the power he has in his hands, and erases all scruples by telling him what could be achieved with this power.