I close my eyes,
Eight bells sound,
“Relieve the watch
Relieve the wheel
And the lookout.”
My ears perceive the prow
As it cuts the waves,
Splitting the sea,
Throwing the waters aside
With that powerful hiss.
My nose wishes it could smell
The oil that keeps
This steel engine whole
In the face of sea and salt,
I don’t want to open my eyes.
When I do, I shall be
An old man again,
Sitting at my desk,
In my house,
In the forest,
Far from the sea,
While young men do the work,
I long to do.
