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Thursday 23 March 2023

Sea-Fever by John Masefield

I was once asked what, apart from my family, would I want to save if my home was burning. I realised then that my most treasured possession is a copy of Palgrave's Golden Treasury that was presented to my mother as a school prize in 1934. Palgrave's Golden Treasury of the Best Poems in the English Language is probably the most famous poetry anthology ever compiled. Originally published in 1861, it quickly established itself as the most popular selection of English poems. This edition is dated 1933 “with additional poems”. Inside, it is inscribed:

I learned a lot of poems from it and developed a life-long appreciation. Sea-Fever and Cargoes by John Masefield, who would have been Poet Laureate at the time of this edition's publication, were my two favourites.

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. 

(*The word ‘go’ does not appear in Masefield’s original poem but seems to be included in every current anthology.)

This poem is very straightforward and accessible so I don't think it requires much analysis but I will say that it is a great example of alliteration & onomatopoeia

I'm listening to Bette Midler's wonderful cover of Bob Dylan's Buckets of Rain (and he is also featured on this recording!). Listen here.

10 comments:

Parnassus said...

Hello Bazza, I was introduced to Masefield when I studied bibliography--collectors and curators writing in the 20th century considered Masefield manuscripts, first editions, etc. as a top prize with a special glow to them. A few years ago I realized that I had never read any Masefield prose, so I ordered the novel Jim Davis, pretty much at random from an online bookseller. It turned out to be a juvenile, but with the same sea background as the poem you presented to us, but with pirates, smugglers, hidden coastline caves and tunnels, and the like for added excitement, à la Robert Louis Stevenson.
--Jim

bazza said...

Jim: I don't know of that book but it sounds typical of his style. I run guided walks for a Children's Charity and we have occasionally walked past his lovely home by the Regents Canal in Little Venice, London. You can view the house from the other side of the canal through the link below. You may just about be able to see the commemorative Blue Plaque.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5224137,-0.1811915,3a,48.2y,147.48h,99.96t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sVd8D54f0KAkQHK3GSneDSg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DVd8D54f0KAkQHK3GSneDSg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D191.81729%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

bobbie said...

One of my favorite poems!

Parnassus said...

Thanks for the photo link. I guess either the writing or the smuggling paid off!
--Jim

Hels said...

No wonder your copy of Palgrave's Golden Treasury is your most treasured item. How rarely do we have items that showed how well our parents and grandparents did in their young lives? I still have one little book on each Russian composer that my mother won in 1938 - she was matter-of-fact about her success; I am thrilled.

bazza said...

Bobbie: I love it's simplicity!

bazza said...

Hels: Yes, I would love to have more but I do have some wonderful photos. I think our parents generation were always too modest about their achievements.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Bazza - I know I've got a Palgrave here ... but how wonderful to have your mother's copy ... I love those two poems ... and I'm glad gulls are mentioned ... the poem really sets the scene for their seas - though now-a-days - fish and chips seem more to pertain to them. Cheers Hilary

bazza said...

Hilary: Gulls can be a rather vicious menace if you're carrying anything edible!

shrishtyunikart said...
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