Sea-FeverBy John Mase�eld

Sea-Fever

By John Mase�eld (1878-1967)(English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967)

Illustrated byAdrienne S. Berka

Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.Adrienne S. Berka

Dedicated to my Mom

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and 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 songand 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 �ying,

And the �ung 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 a quiet sleep and a sweet dream

when the long trick’s over.

Poets have long written romantically about the sea. �e ancient Greek poet Homer wrote the phrase “the wine-dark sea…” – the color of calm water at sunset – and it has appeared in many writings since. Similarly, “… down to the seas..”, originally from the bible, has become one of the most quoted phrases about sailors.

�e best-known sea-faring poem in the English language was written at the pinnacle – and end – of the era of ocean-going sailing ships. At the start of the 19th century most large sailing ships were wide and round-fronted and pushed majestically but slowly across the oceans. Within a few decades they had been overtaken by sharp-bowed clipper ships with clouds of canvas above cutting through the water racing to make the best time. �e steam power of the industrial age let ship builders create even bigger and faster windjammers. �eir iron hulls and masts gave captains e�cient and powerful means to harness the wind.

In 1894, it was on this kind of ship that John Mase�eld signed on as a sailor for his �rst sea voyage. But by then steam-ships plied the best sea lanes and the magni�cent tall ships sailed mostly on long routes from remote sea ports.

Mase�eld was not a sailor for long, his talent as a writer and poet bringing him a long honored career. His �rst works though came from his brief nautical life and are his most famous. “Sea-Fever” was one of a collection of poems, Salt-Water Ballads, published in 1902.

“Sea-Fever” can be read at several levels. It’s about the experience of going to sea in a sailing ship, and the longing for that life when ashore. It’s also a eulogy for the passing of the magni�cent sailing ships from the sea lanes; and often viewed as an allegory for life itself.

About the poem

�e four-masted barque Gilcruix that John Mase�eld signed on as a sailor in 1894.

Courtesy the State Library of Victoria, Australia