On the Seas and Far Away by Robert Burns
Separated from a beloved sailor who is at sea to meet the enemy, the speaker imagines him fighting in summer heat and pleads for his safety. Amid winter storms, the speaker weeps and prays, then calls for peace and favorable winds to bring him home.
By Robert Burns · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, War Poetry · 493 words
First lines
Tune-"O'er the hills and far away."
How can my poor heart be glad, / When absent from my sailor lad; / How can I the thought forego- / He's on the seas to meet the foe? / Let me wander, let me rove, / Still my heart is with my love; / Nightly dreams, and thoughts by day, / Are with him that's far away.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — A first-person voice expresses longing and fear in rhymed stanzas with a recurring chorus.
- Love Poetry — The speaker's waking thoughts and dreams remain with the absent sailor, whose return to an embrace is desired.
- War Poetry — The sailor's departure to meet the enemy prompts pleas against bullets and an appeal for war to end.
Tags
sailors · naval warfare · separation · longing · prayer · peace · storms
What this Textopian page supports
On the Seas and Far Away is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Love Poetry, War Poetry
- Length: 493 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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