con · 05 / ferryman
the hooded head the bowed shoulder the hands at the pole the upper grip the pole's tip — the pole star the lower hand the heel on the boat the bow lamp the stern post the empty seat
∴ constellation 05

the ferryman

a long boat, a long pole, a long man. the bright tip is the pole, not the head — the head is the smaller star to its left, slightly bowed. there is one empty seat in the middle. it has been there a long time.

when this constellation is overhead, the ferry on the lower river runs without being called. people on the bridge say they can sometimes see two boats — one on the water and one in the sky — moving at exactly the same speed in opposite directions.

rises in · early autumn   visible from · the harbour mouth
atlas · return