Wander – Thirst ~ A Poem by Gerald Gould

The Unending Call of Wanderlust: Answering the Sky’s Invitation to Live Fully

Gerald Gould’s “Wander-Thirst” stirs the restless heart that longs for new horizons—reminding us that some souls are born not to settle, but to seek.

Wander – Thirst

Gerald Gould

BEYOND the East the sunrise, beyond the West the sea,
And East and West the wander-thirst that will not let me be;
It works in me like madness, dear, 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 a friend, and for his guide a star;
And there’s no end of voyaging when once the voice is heard,
For the rivers call, and the roads call, and oh! the call of the 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.

Source

Reflection:

Gerald Gould’s “Wander-Thirst” captures that deep, untamable yearning that lives in certain souls—the pull toward the unknown, the wide-open road, and the infinite sky. The poem speaks to those who find peace not in stillness, but in motion; not in arrival, but in the journey itself.

Beneath the beauty of Gould’s words lies a spiritual truth: the “call of the sky” is not just an invitation to travel, but to awaken—to rediscover our wonder and curiosity about life. The poem reminds us that the spirit’s greatest adventures are both outward and inward. Even when we seem lost, the journey itself becomes our compass.

Perhaps Gould’s wanderer isn’t escaping life but embracing it—answering the universe’s whisper that there’s always more to see, feel, and become.

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Question for Readers:

What “call of the sky” have you felt in your own life—a longing that wouldn’t let you rest until you followed it?