Jerry's Cruising Poems

When Mrs. John Masefield and her husband, the author of Sea Fever, arrived on a liner, she said to a reporter “It was too uppy-downy, and Mr. Masefield was ill.” - (News item)

Sea-Chill

Arthur Guiterman

I must go down to the seas again, where the billows romp and reel,
So all I ask is a large ship which rides on an even keel,
And a mild breeze and a broad deck with a slight list to leeward,
And a clean chair in a snug nook and a nice, kind steward.

I must go down to the seas again, the sport of wind and tide,
As the gray wave and the green wave play leapfrog over the side;
And all I want is a glassy calm with a bone-dry scupper,
A good book and a warm rug and a light, plain supper.

I must go down to the seas again, though there I'm a total loss,
And I can't say which is worst: the pitch, the plunge, the roll, the toss;
But all I ask is a safe retreat in a bar well tended,
And a soft berth and a smooth course till the long trip's ended.

from Moods of the Sea, edited by George C. Solley and Eric Steinbaugh

Click to read Sea Fever, by John Masefield

Click to read Yard Fever, by “Join Mastweld”

Click to read Electric Fever, by Jerry