Sea Fever by John Masefield

SEA FEVER
A poem by John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again,
to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship
and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song
and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face
and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again,
for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call
that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day
with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume,
and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again
to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way
where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn
from a laughing fellow rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream
when the long trick's over.

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• Masefield
• Sea

[seaweed2007]

You poor baby! We non-Dramamine types can be brutally humorous in said situation. On behalf of all of us, I'd like to apologize... and make your lunch. Headcheese and squid on rye, sound good? ; )

[Largo64]

Served with a cup of hot Crisco oil! Yum!

[seaweed2007]

Thank you for adding this personal favorite, Larry! Nothing is more peaceful to me than the open sea. Bit of a tar, are you? ;))

[Largo64]

I love the ocean, but if I go deep sea fishing it's a crap shoot whether I'll get sick or not! I love it when the boat's underway, with the wind in my face. But when we stop and the swells come up, sometimes my last meal does, too. Of course that's just extra chum for the fish! ;^>

[seaweed2007]

Ha! I used to cook on long-range sportfishing boats. We loved guys like you! They're real quiet and their green color always brought us luck! ;P

[Largo64]

I don't think I looked quite like a martian. But one friend thought it was pretty funny. He had a cast iron stomach, and was born with sea legs, I guess. He said things like, "how about I fix you up with a nice peanut butter and lard sandwich?" After which I started looking for Raaaaaaaaalph over the side.

[kerryanne467]

What a beautiful poem! I love John Masefield, he is a brilliant poet. 

[nadiashireensiddiqi]

Must down no go

read the poem

[seaweed2007]

:))

[snoopy1648]

A fine reading of my favorite poem. I have a collection of Masefield's poems and it is very satisfying to pull it off my library shelf and getre-acquainted with his colorful verse. His poems beautifully capture the era of big sailing ships.