“Keel haul the scuppers” you yelled and you laughed
And your bright eyes shone as the ketch heeled to port
The deck tilted dangerously down by the lee
Where a high wall of water was flowing abaft
Standing a metre or more at the scuppers
Striated and streaming and flowing away
Great rolling seas, vast mountains of water
Stood high beside us and showered us with spray
We perched on the high windward gunwales and huddled
Our backs to the wind, your hair in your face
And we kept ourselves warm and huddled there closely
Our breath intermingled with cold stinging spray
“Button the hutches” you cried and we laughed
And we drank in the elements living a dream
The humming of rigging the crash of the waves
The noise and the power and roar of the sea
Rising and rising the bow as it carved
Then plunging and falling impossibly fast
And into the trough it fell plunging so deeply
And slowing and pausing and rising at last
And the skipper was rapturous here in his element
Wild eyed helmsman as mad as can be
Ecstatic adventurer living a fantasy
Shouting out Masefield’s rhymes to the sea
His ship is a living thing, heart of his mother
A creature of water, a creature of wind
And when she has weather she plays like a dolphin
Taking us travelling frolicking free
“Shiver me giblets” you cried and we laughed
And we sailed off to happiness living the dream
I thought of Masefield even before I read the line 'shouting out Masefield's rhymes to the sea. Cargoes is one of my favourite poems in the world and this one has the same rollicking, energetic, boisterous, blokey feel. Wonderful rhythms David. This piece has a salt tang and a bright passionate spirit. It has lifted my day! love, Allie xxxx
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Like a photograph, diary entry and piece of music all in one! Hugs Anna xxx