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Nautical Poems

Watching Star Trek episodes in San Diego Channel 13, I heard Captain Kirk quote an old English poem by John Masefield (the same quote, btw, that he mentions in Star Trek V). That reminded me of another quote, from a Star Trek novel. Listed below are both:


"Sea-Fever"

I must 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 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 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.

By John Masefield (1878-1967).


"Passage to India"

Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

Walt Whitman

 

FSO test tomorrow

My trip went well, I’ll post up some pics later. Tomorrow is the State Department’s Foreign Service Officer oral exam, starting at 0700. Unlike a lot of people who are literally cramming for the test, I haven’t really studied or prepared. We’ll see how it goes!