SEA-FEVER

by John Masefield

I MUST 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 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 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.
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I originally posted this poem without comment. The poem is one of my favorites. It must be one of the best-loved poems in the English language. My blog search produced over 200 postings that quote the poem, or discuss it.

Sea-Fever is also one of the poems that are most frequently quoted incorrectly. When the poem was first published (1902) in Salt-Water Ballads, the first line read (as Masefield intended) " I MUST down to the seas again..."

Some people felt compelled to read or say, "I must go down to the seas again (the rhythm seems more natural, but it puts equal emphasis on the words must and down). John Masefield intentionally omitted the word, "go." He also used capital letters for the word, "MUST." The missing beat in the rhythm and the capitalization tell the reader to give the word "must" more emphasis--"I MUST down to the seas again..." When someone adds the word, "go," and changes the capitalization, he takes away the imperative.

The erroneous "go" has found its way in to some later printings of the poem. In 78 blogs I found that quote the poem, slightly over half (43) include the erroneous "go." Also in the original, the title, Sea-Fever, is hyphenated.

Even with the errors, the poem remains beautiful and compelling. But if you truly love the poem, quote it correctly.