Wander Thirst

Beyond the east the sunrise; beyond the west the sea

And East and West the Wander-Thirst that will not let me be;

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’s no end to voyaging when once the voice is heard,

For the rivers call, and the road calls, and oh! The call of a 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 me why,

You may put the blame on the stars and the sun

And the white road and the sky

Gerald Gould – The Collected Poems, 1929