div>
And first I'll hear the sea-wind, the mewing of the gulls,
The clucking, sucking of the sea about the rusty hulls,
The songs at the capstan at the hooker warping out,
And then the heart of me'll know I'm there or thereabout.
Oh I am sick of brick and stone, the heart of me is sick,
For windy green, unquiet sea, the realm of Moby D*ck;
And I'll be going, going, from the roaring of the wheels,
For a wind's in the heart of me, a fire's in my heels.
John Masefield
In an article entitled
"Tall Ship," Time magazine on-line has published an interesting book review of Masefield's
The Wanderer of Liverpool (1930), from the magazine's issue of October 27, 1930. This is a book I recommend as a nice collection of sea poems related to career of the Liverpool steel four-masted barque,
The Wanderer, including a historical narrative on the ship, photographs, and architectural drawings.
The
Time article erroneously states that Masefield was born in Liverpool. He was not. The poet was born in the town of Ledbury, Herefordshire, England, on June 1, 1878. He did though serve as a cadet on the HMS
Conway on the Mersey, rounded Cape Horn as an apprentice aboard the
Gilcruix, was hospitalized with fever in Chile, and later deserted ship and worked his way to New York City. A full biography can be found at
John Masefield.
Chris
Bookmarks