Wanderthirst

Beyond the East the sunrise, beyond the West the sea, And East and West the wanderthirst that will not let me be; It works in me like madness, to bid me say good-bye; 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 of voyaging when once the voice is heard, For the river calls 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 you why, You may put the blame on the stars and the sun and the white road and the sky.