Christopher Columbus - Explorer.
Columbus, born in Genoa c.1451,
a sailor’s life at age of ten, already had begun
by working on the trading ships of wealthy Genoese,
Centurione, di Negro and Spinola families.
A sense of National empire-building for the sake of trade
between the European and Asian countries then essayed
to foster competition to establish colonies
and trade routes into China and the Orient Indies.
For long the Europeans had enjoyed safe route by land
to India and China under Mongol Empire’s hand
but, with Constantinople’s fall, the Empire Ottoman,
on roads to Opiates, Silks and Spices soon imposed a ban.
Responding to this situation, Christopher began
with brothers, Giovanni and Giacomo, a plan
to travel to the Indies sailing in a westerly
direction from Genoa right across the “Ocean Sea”.
Their efforts to raise finance for this plan were doomed to fail.
There was no ship available such distances to sail
and carry the provisions necessary, from the first,
to save all those aboard from death by hunger or from thirst.
What’s more, Columbus’ calculations failed to stand the test
of experts, as to distance he must cover sailing west.
His measurements of Earth’s circumference were proven wrong
and the distance that he planned to sail was almost twice as long.
King John of Portugal refused him, Ferdinand of Spain
advised him to recalculate – and then apply again.
The merchants of Genoa and Venice treated him with scorn
and Henry VII of England gave him answer quite forlorn.
The King and Queen of Spain, however, now began to fear
that, if they did not help him, he might take his plans elsewhere
and so, Queen Isabella offered Christopher a deal
by proffering a contract signed with her own royal seal.
He thereby was appointed “Admiral of Ocean Seas”
with half the funds provided by Their Spanish Majesties.
Of countries he discovered which, for Spanish Crown he claimed,
as Viceroy and Governor for life he would be named.
From new lands he discovered, of the wealth to Spain returned,
he would receive a portion for himself, as rightly earned.
These very generous terms seemed no munificence to lack
but no-one then expected that he’d ever make it back.
The balance of the needed funds was finally invested
by private men in Italy who he got interested.
Their Spanish Majesties, for him, three worthy vessels claimed:
the “Pinta” and the “Nina” and “Santa Maria” named.
In August 1492 he finally set sail
on the first of his four voyages – the subject of this tale.
For five whole weeks he sailed across the wide Atlantic Ocean,
to land in the Bahamas with relief and great emotion.
The North-East coast of Cuba and Haiti he explored
and kidnapped twenty natives whom he chained and took aboard.
The Santa Maria ran aground and had to be forsaken
with forty men at Haiti where settlement was taken.
Columbus then set sail for Spain but fierce Atlantic storm
forced him to berth at Lisbon till the winds returned to norm.
In March of 1493 Columbus once again
with but two of his ships returned to anchor back in Spain.
Only seven of the natives were brought back to Spain alive.
They also brought back new disease which tended thence to thrive
but news of new lands found, through Europe, even quicker spread;
being named “West Indies”, natives were called “Indians” instead.
September, 1493 Columbus sailed again
with several ships, 1200 men, to colonise for Spain,
the regions he’d discovered and to search for lands anew,
still hoping to reach India and find a passage through.
Dominica and Guadeloupe he found and thereby named;
the Antilles, Antigua and Montserrat he claimed.
Saint Kitts, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico he surveyed,
as well as Hispaniola or Haiti where he stayed.
While there, he instituted policies of genocide.
Of the native Taino people it was said two thousand died.
He shipped off several hundreds who, as slaves, in Europe sold,
while commanding many more, on pain of death, to bring him gold.
From Taino who could not oblige, his men chopped off their hands.
In fact, there was but little gold to be found in those lands.
Eventually the natives fled to rugged countryside
to be hunted down by Spaniards or commit mass suicide.
The erstwhile peaceful natives, Spaniards massacred at will.
Columbus gave them license free to plunder, rape or kill.
Of some two-fifty thousand, but a handful there were left
by the time that he departed, leaving families bereft.
As an advocate of slavery, since Catholic law denies
enslavement of good Christians, he forbade priests to baptize
the simple Taino natives who he wanted to be sold
in European markets where they fetched high price in gold.
However, of all those shipped off to Europe, few arrived.
Most died on board the slave-ships - just the hardiest survived.
Queen Isabella told him, in a manner rather stern,
that she expected much more satisfactory return.
In May of 1498 Columbus left once more
from San Lucar in Spain, the Windward Islands to explore.
He landed south of Trinidad, a most intrepid sailor,
explored the Gulf of Paria, thence mainland Venezuela.
From South America, when back to Haiti he went,
he found his Spanish settlers in a state of discontent.
Misled by his descriptions of the riches they might gain,
they accused him of mismanagement in messages to Spain.
Exhausted and arthritic, to the Court he had requested
a commissioner to help him govern, so they then invested
Francisco Bobadilla with complete authority
to over-ride Columbus should he see necessity.
Columbus, so it happened, this man thoroughly detested
who, on arrival, had him and his brothers all arrested.
Because of their refusal to accept his higher command,
he had all three, as rebels, put in prison out of hand.
In chains, at 53, awaiting his return to Spain,
Columbus from arthritis suffered agonising pain.
Back in Cadiz and put on trial, opponents claimed that he,
as Governor, committed acts of gross barbarity.
Together with his brothers, he was summoned to appear
before the King and Queen of Spain who deigned from them to hear
the many grievances they voiced in Christopher’s defence.
Their freedom was restored and wealth returned as recompense.
The monarchs would not reinstate his Governor’s position
but finally agreed to finance one more expedition
to try, through the Malaccan Straits, to reach the Indian Ocean,
for Christopher was still convinced it was no idle notion.
Accompanied by brother Bartolomeo and son
Fernando, who his 13th year of age had just begun,
Columbus sailed with four stout ships in May, 1502
from Cadiz to Haiti just as storms began to brew.
Francisco Bobadilla there, denied Columbus port,
ignoring all his warnings of a hurricane in short.
The Governor’s first treasure fleet sailed right into its teeth
and twenty ships with all their men and gold were lost beneath.
Columbus’ ships had sheltered in the Rio Jaina arm
and, from the storms, escaped with relatively little harm.
He sailed on to Jamaica and the coasts of Honduras,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the mid-Americas.
In Panama the natives spoke of further seas beyond
and other lands, confirming theories he had held so fond.
Convinced the Indian Ocean lay in waiting for him there,
he headed for Haiti his worn vessels to repair.
The worst storm they’d experienced now caught them in its grip.
For nine whole days it mercilessly battered every ship.
Shipworms had eaten sections of their wooden hulls away.
which barely reached Jamaica, where they beached in St. Ann’s Bay.
Unable to sail further or make any outward trips,
for temporary shelter they stripped timbers from the ships.
Now stranded in Jamaica they remained throughout the year
relying for provisions on reluctant natives there.
An officer and natives bravely paddled a canoe
to reach Haiti, seeking help for all the stranded crew.
The Governor, Ovando, no attempt at rescue made
but efforts to provide a ship, he constantly delayed.
Help finally arrived, June 29, 1504.
Columbus, on November 7, set foot in Spain once more.
In wretched state of health, emaciated and half blind,
adversity had broken him and robbed him of his mind.
In Spain, he soon recovered and regained his former pride,
but, shortly after his return, Queen Isabella died
and, while King Ferdinand made future promise of redress,
Columbus missed the bounty of his former patroness.
He sued for ten percent of profits from the Spanish Crown,
arising from the new lands but the judges turned him down.
Though far from destitute he, as a matter of self-pride,
continued legal action till, aged 55, he died.
From Castile to Haiti thence to Cuba, his remains
were finally transported from West Indies’ soil to Spain’s.
In 1898 they found their final resting place
in the great Cathedral of Seville on a catafalque of grace.
A skilful navigator with original ideas
and a knowledge of cosmography which far excelled his peers,
Columbus’ great achievements were distorted by his notion
that the lands which he ‘discovered’ led through to the Indian Ocean.
Convinced that the Bahamas were a part of India’s coast,
that Cuba was a part of mainland China was his boast.
He even claimed Haiti as an island of Japan
and so, his search to find the Orient, as obsession ran.
Although Columbus added much new territory for Spain,
the Continent of North America he failed to gain.
While proving the West Indies parts of Asia was his fetish,
John Cabot found ‘America’ and claimed it for the British.
Of countries he ‘discovered’ one can not claim any more
that he was first to visit – natives lived there long before.
His legacy was rousing European interest
and the subsequent invasion of the lands that lay out west.
Hugh Wyles, July 4th. 2009.
Author notes
This poem is dedicated to Susan E. Pennycuff who suggested I write and post it.
I am indebted to GOOGLE for providing the following sources of information:
Wikipedia: "Christopher Columbus";
The Catholic Encyclopedia: "Columbus";
American History: "Columbus and Cabot";
Ibiblio: "Christopher Columbus - Man and Myth"
University of Virginia: "The Cabot Dilemma";
Jack Weatherford: "Examining the reputation of Christopher Columbus".
In a list
Comments
1 - 26 of 26
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excellent~
Lordy
This was long....but full of history
There had to be lots of research for this poem da
You should teach history in a school room
Loved it
Your adopted daughter
Susan~~~~
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What a wonderful and unusual idea: to correct the history rather badly misrepresented by ages of schoolbooks. All I can think of when I think of 1492 is the fact that that, if I remember correctly, that was the year Ferdinand and Isabella expelled all the Jews from Spain, and began their delightful little persecution.
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Oh joy, oh rapture!
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Motivation--
no longer elusive subjects---
incredible persistence and dedication---
depth of research to separate fact from fiction---
intelligent analysis and intepretation---
all in magnificent rhythm and rhyme---
detailed poetic history-----
the art of Hugh!!!!
Quite miraculous, dear Hugh!!!!
M-C
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Profound and wise...
Salutations and benisons to Poet Hugh Wyles.
One hundred and seventy-six lines of history's revival made forty-four stanzas for this majestic story-poem in poetic sound, and profound historic value.
The life of this son of Poseidon ~ Christopher Columbus ~ is the symbol of courage, perseverance and consecration to dreams.
My appreciation and gratitude to the author of
"Christopher Columbus - Explorer"
In respect and admiration,
Andre Emmanuel Bendavi ben-YEHU
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You did your home work well. It really was more of a history lesson instead of a poem. That kinda took the fun out...
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You have done lots of research for this poem but um question why christopher columbus?? I mean don't get me wrong history is very fasinating, but You don't often see many poems about it. A fasinating way to learn something though. I learned a butt load from this. I don't often read about history so pretty much every fact was new to me. Great job on this
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Amazing write! And very interesting information.
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Awesome!!
What a rare treat - just magnificent!! And may I add: Double dittos on speedbump, hawkeslake, therenaissancegirl, Dixie Dawn, sevenyears, EmmaB, kurdishking, csmmoms2, Clovis...Curious, Peteskid, jaf616, Susan E Pennycuff, wheezyanna, and Angelica's brilliant statements and informative comments on your blessed hard work in uncovering the TRUE historical legacy this human named Columbus left behind. And I'd like to add the other, often hidden piece of history this person's effect had on the world: that of millions upon millions of Native American Indians living on the North American continent who were exterminated - violently wiped out - in a 400 year period, beginning in the year 1492. Great work, Poet!! Keep your muse's pen flowing, and thank you for sharing this masterpiece with all of us!! 
Peace & hugs,
xx Cyn xx
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Standing ovation
oh, I would have reveled in history, had it been taught in poetry. So many fictitious facts thrown at young children in the USA. Did you ever consider writing your History verses for a teaching book?
I was dually impressed at your strict meter and rhyme. How difficult to find just the right word and make it rhyme. With all you do at home, just to take the time to read sources of information, and THEN write, I commend you highly! Now I can finally pass history at age 62!
Love and hugs,
Meleesa XOXO
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I agree, your poems would make learning history much easier, more fun, and MORE ACCURATE! I know that Columbus was a man of his times, hence many of his heinous acts toward indigenous people were not unique; nevertheless, it is important that we and our children know the truth, and not the myth. An altogether marvelous work, Hugh. Thank you. Lita
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History in the summer? Yo, save the learning for school!
Just kidding, haha!
this actually made learning somewhat tolerable. How great would it be if textbooks were written in rhyme? Then I might actually pay attention...
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You know I always thought it was not right, that the history books, many times forget to mention that the maps used to get here were from ole' Christopher's Portuguese Father In Law...Chris was living in Lisbon with his wife at the time he decided to take that sail, in fact he decided to sail due to recieving and finding those maps. They also forget to mention the many voyages of the Portuguese discoveris long before Chris and his desicion to venture out. He's never been one of my favorite, though worthy of some attention, however I always thought there were so many more that deserved it and didn't recieve it.
I do like your write, giving history that many probably don't know. Its wonderful and so well written, for this would not be an easy subject matter to write about. Most impressive!
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I read it all and it was good.
very good!!! especially how you didn't glorify Columbus like others would!!
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blimey.... this
is long!!!
but an interesting topic and fab history lesson.
Emma x
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Epic Tale
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This is quite an epic tale that you have shared. It's about a man that dared to sail off the edge of the earth. The Vikings did it and most probably the Chinese with their sail-craft. This must have taken a month to write. I wonder what great voyages are in store for us all. -c
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Superb
'tis a very fine write, indeed. Imagery; rhythm, and rhyme are just fine. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
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Simply brilliant.
A few books here have exposed Columbus for the exploitation of the Islands in the Caribbean, his bald attempt to own everything he saw, but the savagery towards the indigenous peoples has largely been set aside in favor of a romantic and false image of Columbus as a noble discoverer, explorer.
His accomplishments were as you say: to attempt great wealth from a sea voyage following a badly mistaken idea of the size of oceans and the world. The myth aside, i think you are also right: he set a fire in Europe, a competition among powerful governments to colonize vast lands that were unprepared to defend against invasion. Gold and wealth from natural resources, slave labor.
I guess i should also mention, the excellent scholarship and your usual amazing use of rhyme...PK
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Wow. so much knowledge you have, and so much less I have than I knew. This blew me away. I ,for over fifty years, have been under the wrong assumption, and I believe many others, as well. I appreciate the effort you put into this piece. Thank you; sir. I am going to print this, and brgin to show the world of the true discovery here, and that is yours.Your ability to present this in the fashion that you did is extraordinary i every sence of the word. I bow to you. This opened my eyes to a startling revelation.You are talanted beyond comprehension. Thank you again for this revealing write My compliments, dear friend.
John,God Bless you
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Hugh I can't remember the last time I was so proud of someone for their educational efforts outside of it being one of my own children or my mothers efforts to try to learn to read and write ( a great feat at the age of seventy and being legally blind). I gave you this topic because ... well it is not secret that here in the United States our children are so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to education. One of the things I have noticed recently is how much more the other worlds children know about history and math. Our children are taught rhymes and songs or jingles about certain events in history at an early age and not really elaborated on, but they will know dates because of that. For instance my little girl can tell you that in Columbus sailed in 1492... but if you ask her to tell you about him all she can tell you is that he sailed the ocean blue... that is because she learned a little ditty that rhymed. I am going to rack her little brain about other historic events and give you more subjects to write about. Of course some you may have already written about, if so that will be good, we can read them to her and she can learn from there, if not... well you will have your next assignment... lmbo But one has come to my mind already... Today is the 4th of July and is celebrated here in America. One of the known figures that is highlighted on many of the party favors purchased is the "Statue of Liberty"
This large monument was a gift to the United States. Can you write something telling us how this came about? Why was it given? When was it given? Who gave it? What prompted the gift?
She stands proudly in shores yet many children ( and adults for that matter) in our country have no idea that she was a gift given to our country from France. I find this sad. We the country that give to so many other countries have been given this precious gift yet so many have no idea.
You did a wonderful job on this Columbus poem dear, you showed the world who he was, who he really was and you even went a step further and introduced John Cabot... bravo to you for doing that!
You have undeniable talent for relaying history as none other can do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I do hope you know that I use your historic writings to help teach my children what they SHOULD have learned in school. Please do not lose your muse again. I need you to continue writing to ensure they make it to college... lol
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Dear, dear Susan,
Right! My Muse and I will tackle BOTH your new suggestions. First to deal with another shameful character, John Wilkes Booth and then we shall proceed joyfully in an attempt to scale the Statue of Liberty. Meantime, thankyou for reading our essay on John Cabot who DISCOVERED the American Continent.
Love and hugs, XXX Hugh. -
Thank you Susan for your suggestions to Hugh - he is doing a marvellous job with them & I hope he does take up your next prompt about the Statue of Liberty.
Cheers
Anne
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Dear Hugh, Columbus certainly was out with his calculations on the size of the Earth.
By the sound of it he wasn't a very nice man, kidnapping the natives where a lot of them didn't survive the trip, committing genocide. How awful to chop off their hands.
To me, he was a MONSTER. This also has opened my eyes to a lot of history that was wrongly quoted.He certainly didn't know where he was most of the time, We like Anne used to chant "In fourteen hundred and ninety two, Columbus sailed the Ocean blue. this is wonderfully written my friend, your Muse has certainly had to work overtime since she came back.
Love Bea:
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Bravo
What a tour de force. An epic poem indeed with much information contained therein. Enjoyed reading this and learning a great deal more about Columbus than just the little chant we had at school - 'In 14 hundred & 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue'.
Love & Hugs XXX
Anne
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We used to chant that too Anne, in our schools here in Australia.
Love Joan
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