Christmas at Sea

5They heard the surf a-roaring before the break of day;

6But 'twas only with the peep of light we saw how ill we lay.

7We tumbled every hand on deck instanter, with a shout,

8And we gave her the maintops'l, and stood by to go about.

9All day we tacked and tacked between the South Head and the North;

10All day we hauled the frozen sheets, and got no further forth;

11All day as cold as charity, in bitter pain and dread,

12For very life and nature we tacked from head to head.

13We gave the South a wider berth, for there the tide-race roared;

14But every tack we made we brought the North Head close aboard:

15So's we saw the cliffs and houses, and the breakers running high,

16And the coastguard in his garden, with his glass against his eye.

17The frost was on the village roofs as white as ocean foam;

18The good red fires were burning bright in every 'longshore home;

19The windows sparkled clear, and the chimneys volleyed out;

20And I vow we sniffed the victuals as the vessel went about.

21The bells upon the church were rung with a mighty jovial cheer;

22For it's just that I should tell you how (of all days in the year)

23This day of our adversity was blessèd Christmas morn,

24And the house above the coastguard's was the house where I was born.

25O well I saw the pleasant room, the pleasant faces there,

26My mother's silver spectacles, my father's silver hair;

27And well I saw the firelight, like a flight of homely elves,

28Go dancing round the china-plates that stand upon the shelves.

29And well I knew the talk they had, the talk that was of me,

30Of the shadow on the household and the son that went to sea;

31And O the wicked fool I seemed, in every kind of way,

32To be here and hauling frozen ropes on blessèd Christmas Day.

33They lit the high sea-light, and the dark began to fall.

34"All hands to loose topgallant sails," I heard the captain call.

35"By the Lord, she'll never stand it," our first mate, Jackson, cried.

36. . . "It's the one way or the other, Mr. Jackson," he replied.

37She staggered to her bearings, but the sails were new and good,

38And the ship smelt up to windward just as though she understood.

39As the winter's day was ending, in the entry of the night,

40We cleared the weary headland, and passed below the light.

41And they heaved a mighty breath, every soul on board but me,

42As they saw her nose again pointing handsome out to sea;

43But all that I could think of, in the darkness and the cold,

44Was just that I was leaving home and my folks were growing old.