Sea Fever by John Masefield

Sea Fever
by: John Masefield

I must 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 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 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.

When I was in high school I had to memorize this poem, but I will tell you that it is one of the joys that I have retained from my youthful days.  The words are simply magical, floating from your tongue like lapping waves against the shore--the rise and fall of the phrases as reminiscent of the ocean's movements as the poem itself.

When I was down at the beach a few weekends past, I remembered this poem, and I couldn't wait to share it with you.  But as you may have noticed, I've been trying to limit my white, European poetry as this month is also Black History Month here in America, and I want to explore and share poetry of black Americans, too--especially since there is so much history tied up in them that is uniquely, and often sadly, American.

My deviations from this are only because growing up, these were the poems that I most often heard and loved.  Sadly, there was little in the way of cultural diversity offered in my English classes--the ones that I remember.  And honestly, I am frustrated by this, as there is so much beautiful poetry out there in the world.  And reading poetry from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities can often offer a new perspective to our lives that we might not otherwise have had.

So, while today I am sharing this love-memory, I also implore you to seek out the voices of those who are different from your own (and the ones you know best.)  Read the poetry of other countries and cultures.  Not only will you learn something about them, but you may find that you have learned something about yourself, as well.

To me poetry is much like this longing for the sea; I feel pulled toward it again and again--learning from it and growing from it (and often with it.)  I hope in sharing these poems with you, you are learning something, too.