A Sea Symphony: I. A Song for All Seas, All Ships (Moderato maestoso)

Behold, the sea itself,
and on its limitless heaving breast, the ships.
See where their white sails, bellying in the wind
speckle the green and blue.
See the steamers
coming and going,
steaming in or out of port.
See,
dusky and undulating.
See the long pennants of smoke.
Behold, the sea itself,
and on its limitless heaving breast,
the ships.
Today a rude, brief recitative
of ships sailing the seas,
each with its special flag or ship-signal,
of unnamed heroes in the ships,
of waves spreading far as the eye can reach,
of dashing spray and the winds piping and blowing,
Today a rude, brief recitative
of ships sailing the seas,
each with its special flag or ship-signal,
of unnamed heroes in the ships,
of waves spreading far as the eye can reach,
of dashing spray and the winds piping and blowing,
And out of these a chant for all sailors
of all nations.
Fitful, like a surge.
Of sea captains young or old,
and the mates,
and of all intrepid sailors
Of the few, very choice, taciturn
Whom fate can never surprise nor death display
Picked sparingly,
without noise,
by thee old ocean, chosen by thee,
Thou sea that pickest and cullest the race in time
and unitest the nations
Suckled by thee, old husky nurse,
embodying thee, indomitable,
untamed as thee
Flaunt out O sea, your separate flags of nations!
Flaunt out visible as ever, the various flags and ship-signals!
But do you reserve especially for yourself and for the soul of man
one flag above all the rest,
A spiritual woven signal for all nations,
emblem of man elate about death,
token of all brave captains and all intrepid sailors and mates, and all that went down doing their duty, remeniscent of them, twined from all intrepid captians
young or old
a pennant universal, subtly waiving all time o'er all brave sailors,
all seas, all ships.