Que dios nos envíe ballenas...

Thanks a lot, Joe.

from ---------- Joe Roman 

to -------------- Netalga
date ----------- Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 3:31 PM
subject -------- Re: From Spain, "Que dios nos envíe ballenas"

Reply

Querida Elena,

Gracias por su mensaje. (Eso es casi el fin de mi espanol.)

I'm glad you liked the book and that it's now available in Spanish. (I haven't seen the Spanish version yet.)

You got the translation exactly right. Dean C. Wright, who was a boatsteerer (harpooneer) aboard the "Benjamin Rush" from 1841-45, wrote, "God send us whales." They were going through a long dry spell at sea.

The journal can be found in the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where I did much of my research for the book. A short book was later published from this journal:

Meditations from steerage : two whaling journal fragments: The commonplace book of Dean C. Wright, boatsteerer, ship Benjamin Rush of Warren, Rhode Island, 1841-45 and Six months outward bound: John Jones, steward, ship Eliza Adams of New Bedford, 1852, edited by Stuart M Frank. 1991. Sharon, Mass.: The Kendall Whaling Museum.

This will no doubt be a challenge to find.

Thanks for your interest.

Please send me a picture of the tattoo if you decide to go through with it.

Best wishes,

Joe

Joe Roman, PhD

Fellow, Gund Institute for Ecological Economics

University of Vermont

617 Main Street

Burlington, VT 05405

* * *

Research Associate

New England Aquarium

Central Wharf

Boston, MA 02110

phone: 617.312.2241

www.joeroman.com