Ode to a Long-haul Voyage
O let it be,
in heavy swells,
where white waves chant,
wailing winds pulsate
and humpback whales breach;
there amid ocean’s power
let me hear the silent
turning of the tides-
God’s transforming hand.
O let it be,
the economy
of my driving powers -
intellect, desires and will -
be transformed
by An Gèadh Fiadhaich
in the Living Word,
the One who formed
the surge of the sea.
O let it be,
on a long-haul voyage
with An Gèadh Fiadhaich
my curach currents pull
over upwelling seas.
From murmuring depths
of heart, soul and mind
births God’s magnum opus,
‘The Changing of the Tides’.
Scot’s Gaelic
An Gèadh Fiadhaich: "The Wild Goose,” the poetic name for the Holy Spirit - untamed by humanity.
Curach: Curragh - a small traditional boat made of wickerwork covered in watertight material (leather, canvas). See also, ‘The Brendan Voyage: Sailing to America in a leather boat to prove the legend of the Irish sailor saints’ by Tim Severin.
© Craig A Roberts, 2025.
From: Ocean Melodies
Photo: Shutterstock