What is the poem 'Sea Fever' by John Masefield about?

Sea Fever is a powerful poem expressing the irresistible call of the sea and the deep longing for maritime life. Written by John Masefield, the poem captures the speaker's intense desire to return to seafaring, describing the physical and emotional pull of ocean voyages. Through three stanzas, each beginning with 'I must go down to the seas again,' the poet conveys the magnetic attraction of life at sea, celebrating the freedom, adventure, and wandering spirit of sailors. The poem beautifully portrays the sea not just as a place but as a way of life that calls to certain souls with an undeniable, irresistible force.

Who is John Masefield, the author of 'Sea Fever'?

John Edward Masefield (1878-1967) was an distinguished English poet, writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death. His poetry often celebrated maritime life and adventure, drawing from his own experiences at sea. He is also remembered as the author of beloved children's novels including The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights. Masefield's work is characterized by its vivid imagery, strong rhythms, and celebration of working-class heroes and adventurers, making him one of the most popular poets of his era.

What does 'I must go down to the seas again' mean?

The repeated refrain 'I must go down to the seas again' expresses an overwhelming, compulsive need to return to maritime life. The word 'must' indicates this is not merely a desire but a necessity, an irresistible calling that cannot be denied. The phrase 'go down' traditionally refers to going to sea, as sailors 'go down' to the docks and down to the water's edge. The repetition of this line at the start of each stanza emphasizes the persistent, haunting nature of this call - it's a yearning that won't be silenced, dominating the speaker's thoughts and demanding fulfillment.

What does the speaker ask for in 'Sea Fever'?

Throughout the poem, the speaker makes simple but profound requests: a tall ship to sail and a star to steer by; the physical sensations of sailing including the wheel's kick, the wind's song, and the white sail's shaking; a windy day with white clouds flying; the experience of flung spray, blown spume, and crying sea-gulls; and finally, a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover, quiet sleep, and a sweet dream when the journey ends. These requests reveal someone who desires not luxury but authentic maritime experiences - the real, physical, sometimes harsh but always exhilarating elements of life at sea.

What is meant by 'the lonely sea and the sky'?

The phrase 'the lonely sea and the sky' evokes the vast emptiness and solitude of ocean voyages, where sailors are surrounded only by endless water meeting endless sky. This loneliness isn't portrayed negatively but rather as a form of freedom and transcendence. The sea's loneliness represents escape from crowded, complicated human society into a simpler, more elemental world. The joining of sea and sky suggests infinity and limitlessness, where one can lose themselves in the grandeur of nature. This solitude is attractive to the speaker, offering peace and perspective impossible to find on land.

What does 'a tall ship and a star to steer her by' symbolize?

A tall ship represents the traditional sailing vessels requiring skill and courage to navigate, symbolizing adventure and the romance of seafaring. The star for steering by refers to celestial navigation, where sailors use stars to find their way across featureless oceans - a practice requiring knowledge, patience, and trust in nature's guidance. Together, these images evoke traditional maritime skills and the intimate relationship between sailors and the natural world. The star also symbolizes hope, guidance, and the mysterious pull that draws sailors toward unknown horizons, representing both practical necessity and spiritual direction.

What is 'the wheel's kick' in the poem?

The wheel's kick refers to the sudden jarring movement of a ship's steering wheel when waves strike the rudder, causing the wheel to pull or jerk in the helmsman's hands. This vivid tactile image conveys the physical, visceral experience of sailing - the direct connection between sailor, ship, and sea. The kick represents the ship's responsiveness to ocean forces, the constant give-and-take between human control and nature's power. It's a detail that only someone with genuine sailing experience would know and appreciate, adding authenticity to the speaker's longing and demonstrating intimate familiarity with seafaring life.

What does the poet mean by 'the wind's like a whetted knife'?

This striking simile compares the sea wind to a sharpened (whetted) knife, conveying its cutting, piercing quality. Ocean winds can be fierce and cold, seeming to cut through clothing and skin with razor-like sharpness. The image emphasizes the harsh physical realities of maritime life - it's not romanticized or softened but presented honestly, including discomfort and danger. Yet the speaker desires even this harshness, suggesting that the authenticity and intensity of seafaring, including its challenges, are preferable to comfortable but mundane life on land. The whetted knife suggests something honed, sharp, alive - dangerous but exhilarating.

What is 'the vagrant gypsy life' mentioned in the poem?

The vagrant gypsy life refers to the wandering, nomadic existence of sailors who travel constantly without permanent homes, much like the traditionally itinerant Roma people (gypsies). This life represents freedom from social conventions and settled routines, continuous movement and adventure, and living on the margins of society. The speaker romanticizes this rootless existence, viewing it not as poverty or instability but as liberation. Calling it 'vagrant' acknowledges its unconventional nature while 'gypsy' suggests a romantic outsider identity. This wandering life offers escape from the predictable patterns of land-based society into a more spontaneous, adventurous existence.

What are 'the gull's way and the whale's way'?

The gull's way and the whale's way refer to the paths followed by seabirds and sea mammals across the ocean - natural routes determined by winds, currents, food sources, and instinct rather than human-made roads or maps. These ways represent living in harmony with nature, following ancient patterns established by the sea's own rhythms. By wanting to follow these ways, the speaker desires to be part of the natural world rather than dominating it, to move with nature rather than against it. The phrase evokes freedom, wildness, and the mysterious knowledge possessed by creatures that truly belong to the sea.

What is the significance of 'grey mist' and 'grey dawn' in the poem?

The grey mist on the sea's face and grey dawn breaking create atmospheric imagery of early morning at sea, when light is dim and colors muted. Grey suggests a liminal, transitional state between night and day, darkness and light, sleep and waking. These moments are peaceful yet charged with potential, when the sea is mysterious and the day's possibilities are unfolding. The repetition of 'grey' creates a misty, dream-like quality, emphasizing the ethereal beauty of dawn at sea. These quiet, contemplative moments contrast with the poem's more vigorous imagery, showing the speaker values the sea's gentler aspects as well as its wildness.

What does 'the call of the running tide' mean?

The call of the running tide personifies the tidal movements as a voice summoning the speaker back to sea. Tides represent the ocean's constant rhythm, the pull of moon and gravity that governs maritime life. This call is described as 'wild' and 'clear' - primitive and irresistible yet unmistakable in its message. The running tide suggests movement, energy, and the sea's restless nature that never stops. The speaker characterizes this call as one 'that may not be denied,' emphasizing its compulsory nature. The tide's call represents both the physical reality of seafaring (dependent on tidal movements) and a deeper, almost mystical summons to oceanic life.

What are 'flung spray' and 'blown spume' in Sea Fever?

Flung spray and blown spume describe water droplets and foam thrown into the air by wind and waves. Spray is water scattered in fine droplets when waves break, while spume is the frothy foam created by turbulent seas. Both being 'flung' and 'blown' emphasizes the wind's force and the dynamic energy of the seascape. These vivid sensory details - the feel of salt water on skin, the sight of white foam against dark water, the wildness of wind-tossed seas - create an immersive experience. The speaker desires these visceral sensations, showing that attraction to maritime life includes its wet, wild, uncomfortable aspects, not just its romance.

What is the meaning of 'sea-gulls crying' in the poem?

The crying sea-gulls evoke the distinctive, haunting calls of seabirds that follow ships and inhabit coastal areas. These bird cries are quintessentially maritime sounds, instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the sea. The word 'crying' gives the calls an emotional quality, as if the birds share the speaker's longing or express the sea's voice. Gulls also represent freedom, able to soar between sea and sky, embodying the liberty the speaker craves. Their cries might sound melancholy or joyful depending on perspective, but they're authentic sounds of maritime life that the speaker misses and desires to hear again.

What does 'a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover' mean?

A merry yarn refers to an entertaining story or tale, traditionally told by sailors sharing experiences and adventures. A fellow-rover is a companion sailor, another wanderer of the seas. The image of laughing companions sharing stories represents the camaraderie of maritime life, the bonds formed between those who share dangerous adventures and isolated conditions. This social element balances the poem's emphasis on solitary sea and sky, showing that seafaring also involves human connection of a particular kind - relationships forged through shared hardship and adventure. The speaker longs not just for the sea itself but for the community of sailors who understand this calling.

What is meant by 'when the long trick's over'?

In maritime terminology, a trick is a period of duty or watch - the time a sailor spends on active duty steering, keeping lookout, or performing other tasks. A 'long trick' suggests an extended voyage or particularly exhausting period of work. When this ends, the speaker desires simple rewards: quiet sleep and sweet dreams. This shows the speaker understands and accepts the hardships of seafaring - long hours, exhausting work, constant vigilance - but finds fulfillment in earning rest through meaningful labor. The peaceful ending after vigorous effort creates a satisfying cycle of exertion and rest that the speaker finds more rewarding than comfortable but purposeless existence.

What is the rhyme scheme and structure of 'Sea Fever'?

Sea Fever consists of three stanzas of four lines each (quatrains), with an AABB rhyme scheme in each stanza - simple couplets that create a rolling, wave-like rhythm. Each stanza begins with the refrain 'I must go down to the seas again,' creating unity and emphasizing the obsessive nature of the speaker's longing. The rhythm mimics the rolling motion of waves and ships, with a strong, regular beat suggesting sailors' work songs or sea shanties. This simple but effective structure mirrors the poem's theme - straightforward, honest expression of an elemental desire, without complex metaphors or sophisticated language barriers between the reader and the speaker's raw longing.

What are the main themes in 'Sea Fever'?

The primary themes include the irresistible call of adventure and wanderlust; the conflict between settled, conventional life and nomadic freedom; humanity's connection to nature and elemental forces; the romance and reality of seafaring life; the value of difficult, meaningful work over comfortable complacency; and the importance of answering one's true calling regardless of practical considerations. The poem also explores themes of freedom, both physical and spiritual; the camaraderie of shared adventure; and the idea that some people are fundamentally shaped by their environment, becoming so connected to the sea that they cannot truly live apart from it.

Why does the poet repeat 'I must go down to the seas again'?

The repetition serves multiple purposes: it creates a hypnotic, incantatory effect suggesting obsession; it emphasizes the compulsive, irresistible nature of the calling; it provides structural unity to the poem; it mimics the persistent, recurring thoughts of someone longing for something unattainable; and it builds emotional intensity through accumulation. Each repetition adds weight to the speaker's need, making it increasingly clear this isn't a whim but a fundamental requirement of their being. The repetition also creates rhythm reminiscent of waves endlessly returning to shore, reinforcing the maritime theme through the poem's very form and sound.

Why is 'Sea Fever' important for Class 10 students?

Sea Fever is valuable for Class 10 students because it explores universal themes of following one's passion and answering one's calling, relevant to students facing decisions about their futures. The poem teaches about the importance of authenticity - choosing a life that fulfills one's true nature rather than accepting comfortable conformity. It demonstrates how poetry can capture physical sensations and emotions powerfully through concrete imagery. Students learn about literary devices like repetition, imagery, and personification while exploring questions about freedom, purpose, and the courage required to pursue unconventional paths. The poem's accessible language and strong emotions make it immediately engaging while offering depth for analysis.

Sea Fever

Updated for Madhyamik 2027

Board Exam Preparation

10 min read

20 MCQs15 Notes

1.Poet - John Masefield Poet Laureate & Maritime Writer for WBBSE

John Edward Masefield (1878-1967) - English poet, Poet Laureate of UK (1930-death)
Author of children's novels: The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights - for exam context
Poem expresses excitement about sea voyage anticipation - wanderlust theme for Class 10
Passionate seascape description reveals eternal desire to seek nature - central message
Maritime poetry genre - reflects Masefield's own sailing experiences (biographical link)

2.Poem Lines with Sea Imagery: Ships, Wind, Waves & Adventure

Opening refrain: "I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky"
"All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by" - navigation desire
"wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking" - sensory sailing details
"grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking" - atmospheric imagery
"wind's like a whetted knife" - simile showing harsh maritime conditions

3.Character Analysis: Seafarer Persona & Fellow Rover for Exam

Poet/speaker - experienced sailor longing for "vagrant gypsy life" (wanderer character)
Seafaring life described - both harsh and romantic simultaneously (dual nature)
"call of the running tide" - irresistible wild and clear call (personification)
"laughing fellow-rover" - companionship of fellow sailors (maritime brotherhood)
Three stanzas show progression from desire to acceptance of wanderer's life (structure)

4.Literary Themes & MCQ Topics: Wanderlust, Freedom, Nature Connection

Wanderlust theme - irresistible call of adventure and sea (MCQ: poem's central theme)
Freedom vs conventional life - sea represents escape from land restrictions (contrast)
Human-nature connection - communion with sea, wind, gulls (environmental bond)
Repetition device - "I must go down" refrain creates rhythm (poetic technique)
Circular structure - reinforces irresistible pull of sea (structural analysis)

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Q. 1

What does the poet ask for to guide his ship?

Compass

Star

Wind

Map

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Q. 2

How is the call of the running tide described?

Weak

Wild

Silent

Soft

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Q. 3

Which word best captures the poet’s yearning?

Indifference

Reluctance

Fear

Passion

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Q. 4

What does the phrase “I must go down to the seas again” express?

Fear

Duty

Strong desire

Boredom

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Q. 5

Which image is NOT used in the poem?

White sail’s shaking

Golden sun

Wheel’s kick

Grey mist

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Q. 6

What is the overall setting of the poem?

Open sea

Busy city

Mountain

Desert

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Q. 7

What does “white clouds flying” suggest?

Calm weather

Cloudy night

Windy day

Rainy day

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Q. 8

Which element is NOT mentioned in the poem?

Tall ship

Grey mist

Rainbow

White sail

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Q. 9

What does the image of “sea-gulls crying” add to the poem?

Sadness

Silence

Loneliness

Sound of nature

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Q. 10

What is the tone of the poem?

Indifferent

Joyful and adventurous

Sad and gloomy

Angry and bitter

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Q. 11

What does the “tall ship” symbolize?

Stagnation

Isolation

Strength and adventure

Weakness

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Q. 12

How does the poet feel about the running tide?

Angry

Indifferent

Scared

Captivated

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Q. 13

What does the poet expect from a “fellow-rover”?

Merry yarn

Stern look

Silent nod

Deep conversation

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Q. 14

What is meant by “quiet sleep and a sweet dream”?

Nightmare

Confusion

Rest and peace

Boredom

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Q. 15

What lifestyle does the poet desire?

Vagrant gypsy life

Royal life

Settled life

Scholarly life

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Q. 16

What does “the wheel’s kick” refer to?

Animal's movement

Ocean wave

Bird's flight

Ship's steering

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Q. 17

To what is the wind compared in the poem?

Soft pillow

Whetted knife

Gentle breeze

Calm river

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Q. 18

What does “a grey dawn breaking” describe?

Rain

Sunrise

Sunset

Storm

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Q. 19

What does the “running tide” represent?

Human effort

Calm life

Slow time

Nature’s pull

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Q. 20

Which element creates lively imagery in the poem?

Silent sea

Cold wind

Flung spray

Empty sky

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Sea Fever

Key Topics & Concepts

1.Poet - John Masefield Poet Laureate & Maritime Writer for WBBSE

2.Poem Lines with Sea Imagery: Ships, Wind, Waves & Adventure

3.Character Analysis: Seafarer Persona & Fellow Rover for Exam

4.Literary Themes & MCQ Topics: Wanderlust, Freedom, Nature Connection

Related Topics

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Fable

The Passing Away Of Bapu

My Own True Family

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The Ship Of The Desert

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