Sea Fever

I must go down to the seas again, to the rolling sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a big God and a word to guide me by,
And the wave’s crash and the wind’s song and the white foam’s spraying,
And a gray mist on the sea’s face, and a new 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 an hour in my day with the freedom of abiding,
And the endless sand and the tide pools, and the sea gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the simple coastal life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way, where the wind’s like the Spirit’s knife;
And all I ask is a heartfelt prayer from a kindred fellow-rover,
And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

An adaptation of the poem by John Masefield