Wanderlust

I found the following excerpt from a poem, by Gerald Gould an English journalist, many years ago and it instantly became a favorite. I memorized this stanza and think of it from time to time:

Yonder the long horizon lies,and there by night and day
The old ships draw to home again,the young ships sail away,
And come I may,but go I must,and if men ask you why,
You may put the blame on the stars and the sun,
And the white road and the sky.

For some reason this speaks to me in so many ways. Now that I am older and one of those “ships” that seems to find port more comforting sometimes than the far horizon, I understand it even more. But there still is, and who knows, maybe there will always be, in me a yearning for new things, new understandings, creating, exploring, wondering.

As a writer I often wondered about “writer’s block.” Hasn’t happened to me yet. When I go for walks the ideas still come and eventually some of them make their way onto paper.

Here is the rest of the poem, which says a great deal more to me about all those years gone by. More than anything I think this poem says LIVE! Live your life whilst you may.

It has a great title, too. One that is so much better than what I put at the top of this blog:

“Wander-Thirst” By Gerald Gould

Beyond the east the sunrise;Beyond the west the sea
And east and west the Wander-Thirst that will not let me be;
It works in me like madness to bid me say goodbye,
For the seas call,and the stars call,and oh!The call of the sky!

I know not where the white road runs,nor what the blue hills are,
But a man can have the sun for friend,and for his guide,a star;
And there is no end to voyaging when once the voice is heard,
For the rivers call,and the road calls,and oh!The call of the bird!

Yonder the long horizon lies,and there by night and day
The old ships draw to home again,the young ships sail away,
And come I may,but go I must,and if men ask you why,
You may put the blame on the stars and the sun,
And the white road and the sky.

Best, Joe Koob