(1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967 / Herefordshire / England)

poet John Masefield
#75 on top 500 poets
John Masefield
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John Edward Masefield, OM, was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1930 until his death in 1967. He is remembered as the author of the classic children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and poems, including "The Everlasting Mercy" and "Sea-Fever".

Life

Early Life

Masefield was born in Ledbury in Herefordshire, to Caroline and George Masefield, a solicitor. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Masefield was only six, and he went to live with his aunt. His father died soon after following a mental breakdown. After an unhappy education at the King's School in Warwick (now known as ... more »

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Quotations

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  • 'When freezing aloft in a snorter, I tell you I wish—
    (Though maybe it ain't like a Christian)MI wish I could be
    A haughty old copper-bound albatross dipping for fish
    And com...
    John Masefield (1878-1967), British poet. Sea Change (l. 13-16). . . Oxford Book of Modern Verse, The, 1892-1935. William Butler Yeats, ed. (1936)...
    38 person liked.
    		20 person did not like.
  • ''I must down to the seas again for the call of the running tide Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied.''
    John Masefield (1874-1967), British poet, playwright. "Sea Fever," st. 2, Salt-Water Ballads (1902). The line appears as "I must go down to the se...
    180 person liked.
    		33 person did not like.
  • ''I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
    And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,''
    John Masefield (1878-1967), British poet. Sea Fever (l. 1-2). . . Modern American & British Poetry. Louis Untermeyer, ed., in consultation with Ka...
    142 person liked.
    		33 person did not like.
  • ''Out of the earth to rest or range
    Perpetual in perpetual change,
    The unknown passing through the strange.''
    John Masefield (1878-1967), British poet. The Passing Strange (l. 1-3). . . Oxford Book of English Verse, The, 1250-1918. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch...
    36 person liked.
    		12 person did not like.
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Comments about John Masefield

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  • Samra Haq (2/27/2012 8:08:00 PM)

    Very interesting poem by the title of Sea Fever. Which made that me think that as if I was in a ship.Pls see my poem.

    11 person liked.
    		22 person did not like.
  • Koena Mokoena (1/20/2012 2:15:00 AM)

    thiun I believe this is the poem that have opened my eyes when it comes to knowledge & information, as it has a powerful experience about life. I also compose poems, hence you can access them on the following website. Your correspondence will be highly appreciated.

    Have a nice day!

    Mr. Koena France Mokoena
    Country: South Africa
    Website: www.poemhunter.com/kfmproductions

    6 person liked.
    		22 person did not like.
  • Farah Ilyas (5/14/2011 3:25:00 AM)

    very nice...........................................

    11 person liked.
    		19 person did not like.
  • Farah Ilyas (5/13/2011 2:36:00 PM)

    stylistics analysis of a poem
    A poem can paint a thousands images in our mind's eye. the thought content or the idea of the poem is fairly straightforward & simple: his lady lover's face is more beautiful than all of nature in the month of april.
    this poem is mundane.there is imaginative & expressive(narative) use of a language in the poem.the poem followsa patterns of abab cdcd.the poet also makes a heavy use of images & words association to convey his emotions in an emphatic manner as visual, audio & tactile imagery in first stanza.
    the subject of the poem is 'praise from the beloved'. the subject of a poem dealth with beauty & close to nature so comes into pastoral kind of subject.
    the speaker of poem is poet himself however he use persona by introducing his beloved.
    the tone of a poem can range from being happy to being said.by repetitions of a words of a words like i have seen, i have seen & by description of word her, poet wants to stresses her feelings about her beloved's beauty
    the choice of a diction is denotative as well as connotative because its highly evoked the emotions, thoughts, ideas & feelings of a poet
    dennotative as 'but the loveliest things of beauty god ever has shown to me and her voice, and her hair and her eyes....(the real meaning is his girl friend)
    connotative as 'i have seen the lady april....(the real meaning is his girl friend)
    syntax of a pom is highly ordered, poem has been written by poet in past tense.
    a variety of techniques also used by poet to express his thought like the use of simili in 1st stanza of a poem in sentences as 'coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of spain'
    personification by words like 'i have heard the song of the blossoms & the old chant of the sea'
    synecdoche by the words like her voice, her eyes & her lips these all belongs to her beloved's beauty or figure

    14 person liked.
    		21 person did not like.
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