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med_cat: (woman reading)
med_cat: (woman reading)

"I must go down to the seas again..."

med_cat: (woman reading)
"Sea-Fever" is one of John Masefield's  most anthologised poems, much quoted, too. Even Capt. Kirk quotes it in ST:TOS, "all I need is a tall ship and a star to steer her by..."

Sea-Fever

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.

Many thanks to
[livejournal.com profile] debriswoman  who informed me some weeks ago, to my profound amusement, and surprise--I was sure he was an accomplished sailor-- that, quite on the contrary, John Masefield was reported to be a bad sailor. His wife said he had felt ill when a trip on a liner was too "uppy-downy".

[livejournal.com profile] debriswoman also provided the following parody of the poem above, published in the Faber Book of Parodies, which includes a number of parodies of well-known classic poems and authors. I present it here:


by  Arthur Guiterman  (1871-1943)
I must go down to the seas again, where the billows romp and reel,
So all I ask is a large ship that rides on an even keel,
And a mild breeze and a broad deck with a slight list to leeward,
And a clean chair in a snug nook and a nice, kind steward.



I must go down to the seas again, the sport of wind and tide,
As the grey wave and the green wave play leapfrog over the side.
And all I ask is a glassy calm with a bone-dry scupper,
A good book and a warm rug and a light, plain supper.

I must go down to the seas again, though there I'm a total loss,
And can't say which is worst: the pitch, the plunge, the roll, the toss.
But all I ask is a safe retreat in a bar well tended,
And a soft berth and a smooth course till the long trip's ended.

Comments

Oct. 27th, 2012 02:24 pm (UTC)
Hee! I hadn't ever seen the parody before.
med_cat: (Default)
Oct. 27th, 2012 07:06 pm (UTC)
Nor have I; glad you enjoyed ;)
Oct. 27th, 2012 07:46 pm (UTC)
Masefield suffered very badly from sea-sickness during his early voyages as a sailor in the 1890s, I believe it was one of the reasons why he jumped ship in America. He knew all about sailing ships, though, as a result of those early experiences. Nelson was prone to sea-sickness!
med_cat: (Default)
Oct. 28th, 2012 11:03 am (UTC)
I see; very interesting ;) And yes, I'd heard about Nelson.