Sea Fever Summary by John Masefield
SUBSTANCE AND CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE POEM
The theme of the poem ‘Sea Fever’ is quite obvious: wanderlust or wanderthirst. The poem’s speaker hears the call of the sea-an irresistible invitation to adventure,The Snail Summary by William Cowper exploration, and independent living. To know the unknown, to see the unseen and to conquer the unconquerable is the everlasting thirst of those people who basically love adventure. Masefield’s poem sums up the temptation and excitement of travelling in a gigantic ship on rolling, wind-blown seas.
John Masefield, being a sailor, enjoyed the loneliness and quiet environment of the sea. In the poem, ‘Sea Fever’, Masefield expresses his desire for sailing once again in the quiet sea, under a quiet sky. He expresses his desire for the need of a wellbuilt ship to sail and a star in the dark sky to act as a guide. Here the speaker establishes himself as a true-lover of nature for whom, even the stars of the sky can show the path. Soon the adventures would begin and as each day dawns, he wakes up to see the early grey mist rising from the sea.
In the poem, the poet expresses his strong desire to get back to the sea as the call of the sea cannot be ignored or denied. He wishes that there would be strong winds that would blow away the thick white clouds in the sky and fill the sails throughout the day.
The last stanza explains that the poet would like to be a wandering gypsy. Images of a lonely sea’ and a ‘vagrant gypsy life’ bring a mood of freedom and independence to the poem. In the presence of the whales and gulls and wind, he would love to hear the tales and share laughter with a fellow sailor.
The poem clearly shows how Masefield had enjoyed his days on the sea and he would like to be a part of it, even after he had left it far behind.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE
The poem expresses the poet’s uncontrollable desire to go to the seas. All through the poem the poet describes his expectations regarding the voyage on the sea. The poem gives the reader a chance to know how the sea is and what sort of life a sailor leads. The poem beautifully unveils the degree of excitement the poet feels at the undeniable call of the sea. The title of the poem is appropriate as it aptly reflects the theme of the poem.
PARAPHRASE OF THE POEM
The poet expresses his desire to sail again to the seas. He expects co-operation of the sea and the sky. What he wants is nothing but a tall ship and a star that would provide guidance. He wants to feel the vibration of the wheel’s kick, hear the melody of the wind’s song and enjoy the shaking of the white sail. He also wants to see the grey mist on the sea’s face and a grey dawn breaking.
The poet emphasizes his desire. He must go to the seas again because it is impossible for him to deny the wild and clear call of the running tide. He wants the day to be windy with white clouds flying. He wants to experience the flung spray and blown spume and to hear the cry of the seagulls.
The poet wants to have the vagrant gypsy’s life on the sea where the way is the way of the seagull and the whale and the wind is like a whetted knife. At the end, the poet expresses his desire to hear stories from a fellow rover. He expects to have a peaceful sleep full of sweet dreams when the journey is over.
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