The Call of the Open Road: Finding Meaning in Wander Thirst
Have you ever felt an unexplainable pull toward something beyond where you stand right now?
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.
Reflection
Gerald Gould’s Wander Thirst speaks to the restlessness that lives quietly—or loudly—inside so many of us. It’s the ache that rises when routine feels too small and the horizon whispers possibilities. The poem reminds us that the pull toward something more is not always logical or convenient, but it is deeply human. We may not know where the road leads, yet the longing itself becomes a guide. Gould suggests that movement is not rebellion against home, but devotion to becoming. Sometimes growth requires leaving certainty behind and trusting the stars, the sun, and the inner voice that refuses to be silent.
As you read this poem, ask yourself:
What inner call or “wander-thirst” have you been ignoring, and what might happen if you finally listened to it?