John Masefield

Masefield (1878-1967) was orphaned early and sent to the school-ship HMS Conway at the age of 13. His first voyage as a 16-year-old was to the South Atlantic and Cape Horn. He then fell ill in Valparaiso and deserted his next ship in New York. Masefield’s first success as a writer came with the publication of

Salt-Water Ballads in 1902. He was made Poet Laureate in 1930 and occupied the post until his death in 1967.

The Bird of Dawning by John Masefield was first published 1933 by Heinemann. It's now out of print, but you can buy various editions online, second-hand

The poem Sea Fever was one of Masefield’s