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Sea Fever
by John Masefield*
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Thanks to Andrew Weissman for the Pictures of Nova Scotia Sailing Grounds.
* There is controversy about the use of "go" in "Sea Fever" by John Masefield.
It appears as "I must down to the seas again ..." in a number of authoritative
references, including http://www.bartleby.com/103/98.html. The source of the difference
is not yet known, and Richard Grabow, who raised the question, does remember
learning it at the prestigious George School without the "go." The version we are using
predominates the web references, but may be not be historically accurate. Thanks to Richard
for raising the question.
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