SEA FEVER: JOHN MASEFIELD/ class 10/MADDHYAMIK

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.

VOCABULARY

WORDS	MEANINGS		WORDS	MEANINGS
lonely	alone		windy	breezy
steer	guide/control		flung	move/toss
mist	fog/smog		spray	sprink
dawn	day break		spume	foam
tide	Alternate rising and falling of sea		sea-gulls	a bird that lives near the sea and has short legs, long wings, and white and grey feathers
wild	untamed		vagrant	tramp
denied	refuse to admit		gypsy	Free-spirited person/nomad
gull’s way	way of the sea-gulls		whale’s way	way of the whales
whetted	sharpen		merry	cheerful
yarn	a story, usually a long one with a lot of excitement or interest		fellow-rover,	Co-sailor
quiet	making very little noise		trick’s over

 POET (1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967)

He was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate . Among his best known works are the children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and the poems The Everlasting Mercy and "Sea-Fever".

SUBSTANCE

 Masefield published "Sea Fever" in 1902.He did not use ‘go’ after ‘must’ in the first line of each stanza. Instead, he used ‘down’ as a verb. But, he inserted ‘go’ at a later time, thereby changing down to an adverb and altering the meter of the line. Some published editions of his poems retain ‘go’.

 This poem by John Masefield is one of the famous poems known for lust and love for nature. It was first published in 1902 in Salt-Water Ballads. The poem speaks about a person who has a never-ending love for the sea. He is desperate to go to the lonely sea. So, he is keen to have a ‘tall’ ship to sail through the sea. He asks the star to guide him throughout his journey. On his adventure, he intends to enjoy the early mist that rises from the sea along with grey dawn breaking. He wishes to witness the sight of strong winds carrying the clouds and enjoys the cries of sea creatures.

 The last stanza expresses the fact that the poet just want to be like a wandering nomad. He would enjoy thrilling and exciting tales from his fellow sailor and after the long journey he should have a good sleep with a sweet dream.

TITLE

THEME:

In this poem the speaker hears an irresistible call of the sea. It is an invitation for adventure and exploration. It is lust for wandering about and to know the unknown.  He wants to quit from his present and return to the sea, the Nature. He is tired of rest. He is keen to have a life with beauties of nature. A voyage can only give him life that is full of challenges. In short, Masefield’s poem sums up the allure and excitement of voyaging  or traveling .

CENTRAL IDEA

QUESTIONS: COLLECTED, COMPILE  &  EDITED

1.     What is the  Sea Fever poem about?

2.      What kind of poem is Sea Fever?                                                                                                                         

3.     What message does the poet convey through the poem Sea Fever?                                                   

4.     Why the poem is titled Sea Fever?

5.     Why is word ‘grey’ repeated in the poem?

6.     What do lines 7 through 11 reveal about the speaker in “Sea Fever”?

7.     Name the creatures mentioned in the poem.

8.     What sounds of the sea are recalled in John Masefield's "Sea Fever"?

9.     Why does the poet describe the sea ‘lonely’?

10.                         Why does the poet want to go to the sea again?

11.                        Why has the poet mentioned the wind as a "whetted knife"?

12.                         What may not be denied by the poet?

13.                        In the poem "Sea Fever," why does the poet John Masefield ask for a tall ship and a star to steer the way?

 

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES

1.     I must go down to the _________________________________________

2.     I must go down to the _________________________________________

3.     I must go down to the _________________________________________

4.     The sea and sky will be _____________________________________

5.     And all I ask is ______________________________________________

6.     And all I ask is ______________________________________________

7.     And all I ask is ______________________________________________

8.      The poet must go down to the­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­_______________________

9.     The ship that the poet wants to travel on should be

10.                  The poet needs a star to _____________________________

 

11.                  By 'Wheel's kick' the poet wants to mean____________________

12.                 The white sail is shaking because_____________________________

13.                  The colour of the dawn that breaks is_______________________

14.                   The call of the running tide is_________________________________

15.                  The poet cannot __________________________________________

16.                  The day when the poet sets out on his voyage should be ___________

17.                  The poet longs for a ____________________________________

18.                  In the poem 'Sea Fever', wind has been compared to a _____________

19.                  A 'yarn' is a tale of __________________________________________

20.                 The poet wants a tale to be told by ____________________________

21.                  The poet wants to sleep ____________________________________