'Sea Fever'- A Poem by John Masefield

Hello Friends... 

Sure, we all are doing well... Be careful, we must stay fit and shouldn't fall ill getting our studies affected. We shall eat and drink healthy, exercise regularly, and won't avoid our domestic and social responsibilities. And whatever time we get for ourselves at the end of the day, we must study hard for most of the time, so that we learn to think... and learn. We simply cannot afford to stop thinking, for we are learners, and we are the chosen ones who got the scope to learn... 

Let's learn to think first...

Here we meet again to study a poem together. Sea Fever is quite a short poem. And thanks to the collectors who are kind enough to upload rare personal collections for all. How about listening to the poet's own recitation of the poem here before we start reading the text on our own? A poem is not only meant for reading, but also for listening... You might find the words in the description box interesting as well.

Sea Fever

John Masefield

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and 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 quite sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

The Title

What is your opinion about the title of the poem,- Sea Fever? Have you ever heard of this expression earlier? Do you think it might be some kind of fever that might occur at sea, like sea-sickness? Do you think you have been referred to any kind of sickness in the poem?

Not really, right? Then what might this title refer to?

The Speaker

It is a first person narrative where the speaker speaks his/her mind out directly to us. Who can ignore a speaker who is so determined having such strong conviction, right? 

First Stanza

Again?

Who the speaker might be? Undoubtedly, s/he must be a seasoned sailor, isn't it so?-

'I must go down to the seas again...'

Doesn't the use of the word 'again' indicates the fact that the speaker had been to sea earlier as well?

Must!

Can we undermine or ignore the compulsion of the speaker? S/he had to go down to the seas... having no other option left.

Why?

We have no answer to this question that haunts our minds right now. But we have a list of demands put forward by the speaker.

The List

A Tall Ship

The speaker asks for a tall ship. A ship which is tall must be huge, for ships are built proportionately. Didn't it come to your mind?

A Star

And the speaker requires a star to steer or direct the ship as well. Now, as you know, the captains sail with the help of a compass, right? But earlier, it was the position of the Pole star that helped them to guide their ships. Do you think the speaker might be from the pre-compass era then?

The Rest

The speaker wishes for some more. S/he is looking forward for the wheel's kick. When the weather is bad, in rough seas, the waves toss the ships. That causes the steering wheel to kick back- it moves opposite to the direction in which it gets rotated. Haven't you watched any pirate-movie?

The speaker is also looking forward for the wind's song. Out there at sea, if one can hear the wind's song, we must say that the wind is blowing quite strong.

The white sail's shaking is the speaker' another wish. When do you think the sail of the ship is going to shake? Only when the wind is strong enough to be a gale, if not a storm, right?

The speaker expects a grey mist on the sea at the breaking of the dawn. It must be a nasty morning with a really foul weather, right? It must be dangerous as well, for a grey mist might lead to an accident compromising the visibility.

Do these wishes make a sense to you? Who looks forward for a nasty weather out there at sea? A mad sailor looking for scope to prove his/her skills? An adventurous mind looking for thrill?

The Mood

Do you have any clue at the mood of the speaker? We have the colours, right? The grey mist and the grey dawn might indicate some mystery, or some unhappiness as well.

What do you think about the use of the word 'lonely' in the first line? Why do you think the speaker thinks the sea to be lonely? Is the sea lonely without the speaker, and hence, s/he must go down to the seas again?

Second Stanza

The Answer

Now we get the answer why the speaker wants to get back to the sea. The invitation [call] of the rolling waves [running tide] is a strong invitation [a wild call and a clear call] that may not be turned down.

Other Expectations

And the speaker wishes for more!!! 

The speaker asks for a windy day with the white clouds 'flying' in the sky. Do you think that the weather condition has improved? Or does it still seem to be grey altogether?

The speaker also desires the water splashing around [flung spray], and the surf flying around [blown spume], and the 'sea-gulls crying'. That now we have birds in the scene clearly indicates that the weather condition has improved from the first stanza.

The Mood

Maybe the speaker is sounding more cheerful now, isn't it? 

Third Stanza

The Reason Continues

The speaker has got more reasons to return to the seas again. The speaker desires the nomadic [vagrant] gypsy life led by the sea- gulls and the whales. S/he looks forward to a way where the wind can be as sharp [whetted] as a knife. So it is clear that s/he is looking forward for adventure and thrill, right?

His Desires Continue Too

The speaker asks for more. S/he desires a happy story [merry yarn] from a cheerful fellow-sailor [fellow-rover]. And s/he also expects a peaceful [quite] sleep and a sweet dream at the end of the journey [long trick].

The Mood

How do you find the speaker's mood now that we have completed reading the poem? S/he seems to be much more composed and at peace, right? Maybe, s/he is now able to sense peaceful retirement at the end of the adventure. 

The Journey

If we now consider the three phases of the speaker's mood referred to in the three stanzas, can we conclude that the speaker moves to a state of calm and peace from a state of restlessness? 

Can we read this journey to be a metaphorical journey of life as well, where we begin with confusion [youth] and conclude with peace [retired life, or death?]?

The Title Again

Do you now understand that it was actually a reference to the compulsion or obligation of the speaker to return to the sea, as one down with fever is compelled to feel restless?

The Speaker Again

Is the poet the speaker here? Was he a sailor himself, or an adventurer? Would you care to know a bit about the poet himself to see if you get a clue? Then you may click here. You are free to do a bit of research on your own as well.

Now you know, if you have read about the poet himself, that he was sent aboard a ship as a trainee in his youth, for his aunt believed that realistic skills worth more than reading or studying. Ironically, young John discovered that the lovely sea voyages were just lovelier for they provide one with more time to read and write. Interesting, right? You must have noted that he led a vagabond life for some time in America as well. Do you now think that the poet himself is the speaker here in the poem?

Can you now relate the emotion of the speaker in the poem with the voice of the poet that we listened to? However, if you ask me, the poem turns more meaningful when sung by a powerful voice. Why don't you check it out here for yourself?

I will wait eagerly for your opinion on this...

Structural Elements

It is a poem of three stanzas, each of four lines. 

The punctuation used is interesting, isn't it? The line-end punctuation marks of all the stanzas are almost same. Would you like to point out where it is not the same and why? The mid-line punctuations and the use of sense-groups are quite similar in pattern in all the stanzas, and together contribute to the rhythm of the poem, right?

Would you like to count the conjuncts used in the poem, particularly the conjunct 'and'? The repetitive use of this conjunct in particular resembles the movement of repetitive waves and also adds to the rhythm of the poem. 

Anaphora is a popular device used by the poets to induce rhythm and emphasis. It is a way to begin successive lines with the same word or phrase. Do you think we have examples of anaphora in this poem?

However, phrases can be repeated, though not in strict succession, for emphasising different aspects. What are the phrases that get repeated in the poem again and again? Why do you think they are getting repeated throughout the poem?

Adjectives are very important for description and communication of meaning. You may study the way different adjectives are used to describe different nouns in this poem. Have you come across any unusual way of using adjectives here? What are they? Can you think of other adjectives that might be used to describe the same noun appropriately? For instance, think of the phrase 'lonely sea'. It's not a very usual expression. Here we have the word 'lonely' being used as the adjective to describe the noun 'sea'. We may use common adjectives like 'rough' as in 'rough sea', 'choppy' as in 'choppy sea', 'calm' as in 'calm sea', 'blue' as in 'blue sea', 'green' as in 'green sea' and many more to describe the noun 'sea'.

'To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife'- I find this particular line in the poem very interesting. Here we have "-'s" thrice used. Twice it acts as the possessive marker, and once, it has been used to shorten an expression consisting a verb and it's subject. Would you like to point out accordingly?

Feel free to ask me if you have any doubt, or confusion; or let me know if you hold a different opinion in any aspect here.