To Young Men Contemplating A Voyage I

To Young Men Contemplating A Voyage I Would Say Go. The Tales Of Rough Usage Are For The Most Part Exaggerations, As Also Are The Tales Of Sea Danger. To Face The Elements Is, To Be Sure, No Light Matter When The Sea Is In Its Grandest Mood. You Must Then Know The Sea, And Know That You Know It, And Not Forget That It Was Made To Be Sailed Over.

On This Day There Was Soon Wind Enough And To Spare. The Same Might Have Been Said Of The Sea. The Spray Was In The Midst Of The Turbulent Gulf Stream Itself. She Was Jumping Like A Porpoise Over The Uneasy Waves

To Be Taken Into Account Were Some Years Of Schooling, Where I Studied With Diligence Neptune's Laws, And These Laws I Tried To Obey When I Sailed Overseas; It Was Worth The While.

Remember, Lord, My Ship Is Small And Thy Sea Is So Wide!

Was The Crew Well? Was I Not? I Had Profited In Many Ways By The Voyage. I Had Even Gained Flesh, And Actually Weighed A Pound More Than When I Sailed From Boston.