The Sea-Wife

There dwells a wife by the Northern Gate,And a wealthy wife is she;She breeds a breed o' rovin' menAnd casts them over sea,

And some are drowned in deep water,5And some in sight o' shore.And word goes back to the weary wife,And ever she sends more.

For since that wife had gate and gear,And hearth and garth and bield,10She willed her sons to the white harvest,And that is a bitter yield.

She wills her sons to the wet ploughing,To ride the horse of tree;And syne her sons come home again15Far-spent from out the sea.

The good wife's sons come home againWith little into their hands,But the lore of men that ha' dealt with menIn the new and naked lands.20

But the faith of men that ha' brothered menBy more than the easy breath,And the eyes o' men that ha' read wi' menIn the open books of death.

Rich are they, rich in wonders seen,25But poor in the goods o' men,So what they ha' got by the skin o' their teethThey sell for their teeth again.

For whether they lose to the naked skin,Or win to their hearts' desire,30They tell it all to the weary wifeThat nods beside the fire.

Her hearth is wide to every windThat makes the white ash spin;And tide and tide and 'tween the tides35Her sons go out and in;

(Out with great mirth that do desireHazard of trackless ways,In with content to wait their watchAnd warm before the blaze);40

And some return by failing light,And some in waking dream,For she hears the heels of the dripping ghostsThat ride the rough roof-beam.

Home, they come home from all the ports,45The living and the dead;The good wife's sons come home againFor her blessing on their head!