To Young Men Contemplating A Voyage I

The Days Pass Happily With Me Wherever My Ship Sails.

About Midnight The Fog Shut Down Again Denser Than Before. One Could Almost "stand On It." It Continued So For A Number Of Days, The Wind Increasing To A Gale. The Waves Rose High, But I Had A Good Ship. Still, In The Dismal Fog I Felt Myself Drifting Into Loneliness, An Insect On The Straw In The Midst Of The Elements.

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.

To Young Men Contemplating A Voyage I Would Say Go.

As For Myself, The Wonderful Sea Charmed Me From The First.