Whale Spray
What is this poem about ?
I was reading a poem called sea fever by john masefield and i dont understand what the simile the wind’s like a whetted knife tells me about the life on the sea.
And also, how the last sentence affects the mood of the poem.
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.
The last line about quiet sleeping and dreaming sounds like a death metaphor, when the long trick, called life, is over. So the poem throughout is a lively seafarers poem until the last line which cuts all the desire for life down when he looks forward to dying. The wind could feel as cold and sharp as a knife on the sea.
whale spray.MOV
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