Song for all seas, all ships

1

To-day 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 and spreading far as the eye can reach,
Of dashing spray, and the winds piping and blowing,
And out of these a chant for the 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 dismay.
Pick'd sparingly without noise by thee old ocean, chosen by thee,
Thou sea that pickest and cullest the race in time, and unitest nations,
Suckled by thee, old husky nurse, embodying thee,
Indomitable, untamed as thee.

[Ever the heroes on water or on land, by ones or twos appearing,
Ever the stock preserv'd and never lost, though rare, enough for seed preserv'd.]1

2

Flaunt out O sea your separate flags of nations!
Flaunt out visible as ever the various 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 above death,
Token of all brave captains and all intrepid sailors and mates,
And all that went down doing their duty,
Reminiscent of them, twined from all intrepid captains young or old,
A pennant universal, subtly waving all time, o'er all brave sailors,
All seas, all ships.

by Walt Whitman (1819-1892) , "Song for all seas, all ships", from Leaves of Grass, published 1900

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)

by Roy Harris (1898-1979) , "Song for all seas, all ships", published 1939 [mixed voice a cappella], from Symphony for Voices, no. ?
by Vincent Persichetti (1915-1987) , "Flaunt out, o sea", op. 103 no. 6, published 1967 [chorus and wind ensemble], from Celebrations: Cantata no. 3, no. 6.
by Walter Skolnik (1934-) , "Song for all seas, all ships" [SATB chorus a cappella]
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) , "Song for all seas, all ships", published 1909 [soprano, baritone, chorus, and orchestra], from A Sea Symphony, no. 1.
by Joseph Frederick Wagner (1900-1974) , "Song for all seas, all ships", published 1955. [baritone, SATB chorus, and orchestra or piano]

Date added to the website: 2004-07-06.

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