The Call of the Sea

He wandered along the decks by night,

Stood at the rails by day,

Kept to himself from what I saw

And didn’t have much to say,

He wore a yellow sou’wester when

The weather came in cold,

And a battered and worn old Navy cap

With the legend ‘Merchant Gold’.

 

He must have been once a seaman

In a time quite long ago,

He still had his steady seaman’s legs

On the ‘Michaelangelo’,

A crusty and time-worn cruise ship

That had seen much better days,

Pottering round the islands through

The softly lapping waves.

 

I doubt that it could withstand a storm

It was just a summer cruise,

For a raggedy band of tourists who

Had nothing much to lose,

The fares were cheap and the cabins bare

So I utilised the bar,

While the wife would wander off and say,

‘I’ll know just where you are!’

 

I got in some serious drinking

There was nothing else to do,

While Helen came back with every name

Of the stewards, and the crew,

For Helen’s a social butterfly

And she loves to gad about,

I’ve never been much of a talker

So I tend to shut her out.

 

One night I happened to wander out

She was over by the rail,

Listening to the sailor who

Was reading her some tale,

I turned back into the dining room

Until my wife was free,

Then asked her: ‘What was he reading?’

And she said, ‘Some poetry!’

 

‘A poem called ‘Sea Fever’ that had

Brought a tear to his eye,

It was all about a tall ship

And a star to steer her by,

If only you could have heard him, Ben

He had such a tale to tell,

I could have listened to him for hours,

His soul is like a well.’

 

‘His life was spent on the water and

He calls it God’s domain,

He said that having to leave it brought

His life’s most constant pain,

He pointed the constellations out

Named every little star,

He gave me a feeling of awe about

The ocean, where we are.’

 

I know I must have been jealous for

I never took the bait,

I didn’t talk to the sailor,

When I would, it was too late,

A storm blew up and the rising seas

Crashed over the decks and spars,

While he clung onto the outer rails

And gazed on up at the stars.

 

And then I must have been seeing things

For a man approached him there,

Holding onto a trident with

Coiled seaweed in his hair,

Touched him once with the trident and

The sailor turned his head,

Nodded once, with a gentle smile

Then draped on the rail, was dead.

 

They gathered the poor old sailor up

And bound him up in a sheet,

Waited until the sea calmed down

Called everyone to meet,

Then after a simple service they

Just slipped him into the sea,

A fitting end for a sailor who

Had left our company.

 

But Helen was broken hearted she

Was weeping all day long,

While I was irritated, and

I asked her, what was wrong?

She stopped and smiled, and she said, ‘Oh well,

He’s back in the sea he loved,

In a tall ship with a broad sail,

With the sky and the stars above!’

I think of him, and Neptune with

A trident, on his throne,

The sailor reading poetry

But this time, quite alone,

While coral reefs and gentle seas

Pay tribute to his life,

But I couldn’t share it now with him…

He shared it with my wife!

David Lewis Paget  

(‘Sea Fever’ by John Masefield)

Reviews

[Marie]

John Masefield write well of the sea; I made the connection as soon as I read those lines. And it's good to know the sailor who loved her never left the sea. It's also good he was able to share his feelings with someone. Men aren't the only ones who love the sea.

[Vishuddha]

You, sir, are a true poet, far beyond the wannabes so often found herein (may they improve every day). This poem is a delight and carries me back to the days when the art of poetry encompassed both rhyme and rhythm. My favorite poet has long been Longfellow - but, you turn my head. Thank you.

[Michael G.]

I felt her tug, and my ol' sea legs came back to life. Told like a true salt. Well done.

[Mr_M]

A Brilliant poem. It was almost as if I was there watching from a far, looking over at the sailor telling old stories of the sea.

[LJW]

Perfection. It doesn't get much better than this.

[Mati]

David this touches the soul. I've been sailing for almost 10 years now and the ocean has always been a second home to me. Thank for sharing this it was beautiful.

[R Smith]

excellent writing David, i think its one of your best but i probably say that a lot to you, this is such an exciting tale of the sea and the appearance of Neptune gave it that touch of the eerieness that reeks of the sea and mist and waves crashing across the bows, bravo David :)

[Valentine]

Yes, I like this ending much better. Thanks for letting me know you revised your write..Kathie

[ANTO]

"I know I must have been jealous for
I never took the bait,
I didn’t talk to the sailor,
When I would, it was too late,.." this made me laugh with the belly DLP - that is a rare event, thanks - and then in retrospect, it made me sad because of the procrastination and how petty jealousy can deprive of us beautiful things in life.


A beautiful skillfully crafted tale David - putty in your poetic mind as per...
anto

[Cambion]

Mr. Paget, I hardly feel qualified to review this masterpiece after only one reading; but I know it's something I'll reread and share on social media, so I'll describe my impression of the work as well as I can. In the most honest terms, I thought the poem was brilliant and exquisitely nuanced. I found its themes and imagery to be intriguing and adventurous and its form and flow to be perfectly measured. I sympathized with the characters and savored the pathos of their mortal ordeals. A feast for the senses! I am sincerely honored to have had a chance to read this work, and can say without feeling guilty of sycophancy that David Lewis Paget is becoming as influential to my learning of poetry as Dickinson, Eliot, Yeats, and Gibran; and without a doubt, I find his work just as pleasurable to read as the triumphs of the great masters.

Thanks for the excellent poem, and I shall certainly read it again after this posting. Kudos!