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Tuesday 18 November 2014

S stands for The Sea

                                      Sea Fever.

                                                          by John Masefield.

I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky
And al 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 the grey mist on the sea's face,
And a grey dawn breaking. 

I must go down to the sea 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 sea 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.
 
 
I h
 
I have to say that John Masefield is one of my favourite poets, he often spoke longingly about the sea and as a young man lived his dream as an apprentice marine officer, aboard a sailing ship that crossed commercial sea lanes.
After becoming sick on one of his voyages Masefield quit his job as a sailor, he jumped ship and ended up working in a carpet factory in the US.
He returned to the UK in 1897 whereon he became a successful writer.

Through his writing  he imaginatively returned to his great love, The Sea.

My sincere thanks to the sensational Denise for devising  ABCW and to Roger for his administrative skills.  

 

29 comments:

  1. I would love going to the sea. Definitely the beach.

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  2. As a sailor's daughter I like this poem very much and the tall ships are brilliant! I can understand that you like this poet.
    Have a great week, Trubes
    Wil, ABCW Team

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  3. Rajesh: I'm not quite sure where you live in India?
    I live on the estuary of a large river the Mersey so I've always loved the sea and particularly poetry relating to it.
    Thank you for your comments,
    Di x

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  4. Sailing around the world would be an incredible experience. I have only taken short ferry rides or one-day boat trips. I'm not so sure I would be happy out at sea for any great length of time, but I think it would good to try it for a few days and find out.
    Enjoy your week!
    Susan

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  5. Not quite the sea but sirens on a foggy Mersey take some beating.

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  6. I have always loved this poem, - part of my life since childhood when it represented the romance of the sea.

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  7. I love that poem - we had Tall Ships here in Falmouth for the third time since I've lived here. It was amazing!

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  8. Wil:
    I'm glad you like the poem. Each year in Liverpool all the Tall ships come into port and river in their glorious splendour.
    They Line the docks and anchor in the middle of river. Such a splendid site. Thousands of people flock to the riverside to see them,
    Best wishes,
    Di xx

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  9. Dear Roger,
    I'm SURE you won't, particularly if you have your SEASICKNESS pills at hand.

    Pip Pip!


    Di xx

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  10. HI Susan,
    As you're so fond of Turkey perhaps you would enjoy a Gullet trip around the Aegean and the Med ?
    We did a day trip once and it was fabulous, although you'll need good 'sea legs', as it can get rough.

    Best wishes,
    Di x

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  11. Hi Thus, Oh the sound of the fog horns on the Mersey When it's foggy, on a still night, we still can hear them.
    When I was first married we live off Sea Bank Avenue in a road leading directly down to the promenade between Seacombe and New Brighton and not only would we hear the fog horns sounding but the fog /mist used to creep up the avenue, crating quite a spooky atmosphere... Smuggling was rife in days gone by. lots of houses on the promenade had tunnels leading on to the beach where the smugglers would leave their bounty, later to be collected when 'The coast was clear' !

    Pip Pip!

    Di x

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  12. Hildred,
    hello.
    It does stir up a romantic image doesn't it but I bet it wasn't too romantic in a gale force nine!

    Best wishes,
    Di x

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  13. Flowerpot,
    We have The Tall Ships Race ships anchoring on the Mersey, such an amazing sight, as you know.
    Quite an amazing sight. T
    Some of them dock in The Albert Dock and allow people on board to have a look around.
    We've had hundreds of thousands visitors on the riverside to view this spectacle, So good for the economy of the City too!

    Pip Pip,

    Di xx

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  14. It's a blustery day around here today. A perfect poem to read right now.

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  15. Sue see mac..
    So true it's extremely windy here too ! I can stand most elements but high winds do frighten me !

    Best wishes,
    Di.
    ABCW team.

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  16. He has such a vivid style. I remember having to learn the 'West Wind' as a child, a poem which has always stayed with me. We happened upon the John Masefield pub when having a wander on the Wirral earlier this year so I read about his connection with Liverpool on the info board. Beer and education what a combination!

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  17. Sea is vast & mysterious.
    Nice poem :)

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  18. Your Sea poem is great for S :)
    Nice!

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  19. As an old seafarer myself, I really enjoyed your post.

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  20. Oh gosh, Di, I remember this poem very well. Living on the west coast of Canada all my life, I can't imagine what it would be like to live inland. Well, yes I do because we lived in Ottawa for 2 1/2 years and the air was "dead." I will always love living by the sea.

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  21. Hello Joy, I did know about The John Masefield pub in New Ferry on the Wirral because a friend of mine was a relief manager there for a short time. Not in the most salubrious part of town, though! I's quite amazing the number of poets and writers that are either from, or drawn to Merseyside.

    best wishes,
    Di.x

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  22. Cherie: Hi, thanks for dropping by. Yes, I agree they are fabulous sailing ships. They seem to have such a romantic image about them.
    love Di x

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  23. Anita,
    thanks for your comments, I'm so glad you like the poem, certainly one of my favourites!

    Best wishes,

    Di.x

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  24. Berowne:
    Hello again, fancy you being 'an old seafarer', from the little I know about you, you seem to have had a most interesting life,
    Thank you for your comments.

    best wishes,

    Di.x

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  25. Hello dear Leslie, so good to hear from you again and thank you for your comments.
    I can understand you never wanting to be away from the sea, particularly that you live in such a delightful place.
    Tegan is a lucky doggie to be able to have such lovely walkies by the sea every day!
    John Masefield was such a wonderful descriptive writer, particularly when writing about sailing ships and the sea.

    Love,
    Di xx

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  26. What a lovely poem! Great post for S.
    Regards,
    Charuhas.

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  27. Charuas:
    Thank you for your kind words, I love the sea and poetry, so what could be better than a touching poem by a favourite poet, about the sea?

    Best wishes,
    Di.x

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I usually like to reply to your comments but for some reason when i do post a reply it just diappears, any advice would be most welcome,Thanks Di x

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