Sea Fever by John Masefield

 

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 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 quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over.

Commitment...transforms a promise into a reality.

 

The title is an abbreviated version of a quote by Abraham Lincoln: Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. God promised a man a piece of property and he was determined to occupy it. It would be a long, difficult, and sometimes frustrating journey, but his commitment would transform that promise into reality.

A day came when the wandering Israelites were gathered before Joshua. It was the day that the land of Canaan would be divided among the twelve tribes. But a gray-haired, eighty-five-year-old man stole the show. He stepped forward and demanded, “Give me my mountain.”