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 the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

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.

Sea-Fever

by John Masefield

When I rise up

let me rise up joyful 

like a bird.

When I fall

let me fall without regret

like a leaf

excerpt from Prayers and Sayings of the Mad Farmer

by Wendell Berry

♥