“SEA” by Jack Kerouac

 

 

Sound of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur

 

 

 

 

                          “SEA”

 

 

 

Cherson!

 Cherson!

  You aint just whistlin

    Dixie, Sea------

  Cherson! Cherson !

   We calcimine fathers

    here below!

  Kitchen light on-----

   Sea Engines from Russia

    seabirding here below-----

 When rocks outsea froth

  I’ll know Hawaii

  cracked up & scramble

  up my doublelegged cliff

 to the silt of

    a million years-----

 

 Shoo-----Shaw-----Shirsh-----

 Go on die salt light

  You billion yeared

   rock knocker

 Gavroom

 Seabird

 Gabroobird

 Sad as wife & hill

 Loved as mother & fog

 Oh! Oh! Oh!

   Sea! Osh!

 Where’s yr little Neppytune

    tonight?

 

These gentle tree pulp pages

which’ve nothing to do

with yr crash roar,

   liar sea, ah,

were made for rock

tumble seabird digdown

  footstep hollow weed

 move bedarvaling

 crash? Ah again?

Wine is salt here?

 Tidal wave kitchen?

Engines of Russia

  in yr soft talk------

 

Les poissons de la mer

   parle Breton------

Mon nom es Lebris

   de Keroack

 Parle, Poissons, Loti,

  parle------

Parlning Ocean sanding

  crash the billion rocks------

 

  Ker plotsch------

   Shore------shoe------

god------brash------

The headland looks like

a longnosed Collie sleeping

with his light on his

  nose, as the ocean,

 obeying its accomodations

 of mind, crashes in

  rhythm of sand

  thought------

------Big frigging shoulders

on that sonofabitch

 

Parle, O, parle, mer, parle,

 Sea speak to me, speak

   to me, your silver you light

  Where hole opened up in Alaska

   Gray------sh------wind in

    The canyon wind in the rain

     Wind in the rolling rash

    Moving and t wedel

      Sea

       sea

        Diving sea

O bird------la vengeance

   De la roche

     Cossez

       Ah

 

Rare, he rammed the gate

rare over by Cherson, Cherson,

we calcify fathers here below

------a watery cross, with weeds

entwined------This grins restoredly,

 low sleep------Wave------Oh, no,

shush------Shirk------Boom plop

Neptune now his arms extends

 while one millions of souls

  sit lit in caves of darkness

------What ols bark? The dog

mountain? Down by the Sea

 Engines? God rush------Shore------

Shaw------Shoo------Oh soft sigh

 we wait hair twined like

 larks------Pissit------Rest not

------Plottit, bisp tesh, cashes,

 re tav, plo, aravow,

shirsh,------Who’s whispeing over

  there------the silly earthen creek!

 The fog thunders------We put

   silver light on face------We

     took the heroesin------A billion

      years aint nothing------

 

O the cities here below!

  The men with a thousand

  arms! the stanchions of

  their upward gaze! the

  coral of their poetry! the

    sea dragons tenderized, meat

    for fleshy fish------

       Navark, navark, the fishes

      of the Sea speak Breton------

       wash as soft as people’s

  dreams------We got peoples

   in & out the shore, they call

    it shore, sea call it

     pish rip plosh------The

      5 billion years since

     earth we saw substantial

      chan------Chinese are

       the waves------the woods

       are dreaming

 

No human words bespeak

 the token sorrow older

 than old this wave

 becrashing smarts the

  sand with plosh

  of twirléd sandy

thought------Ah change

 the world? Ah set

 the fee? Are rope the

    angels in all the sea?

    Ah ropery otter

   barnacle’d be------

    Ah cave, Ah crosh!

      A feathery sea

 

 Too much short------Where

 Miss Nop tonight?

Wroten Kerarc’h

 in the labidalian

 aristotelian parl

with slime a middle

------And Ranti forner

 who pulled pearls by

 rope to throne

  the King by

   the roll in the

  forest of averseas?

Not everseas, be seas

 ----------Creep

      Crash

The woman with her body

in the sea------The frog who

never moves & thunders, sharsh

------The snake with his body

 under the sand------The dog

 with the light on his nose,

 supine, with shoulders so

 enormous they reach back to

 rain crack------These leaves hasten

  to the sea------We let them

    hasten to be wetted & give

 em that old salt change, a

 nuder think will make you see

  they originate from the We Sea

   anyway------No dooming booms

  on sunday afternoons------We

 run thru the core of cliffs,

  blam up caves, disengage no

   jelly or jellied pendant

     thinkers------

 

                  Our armies of

    anchored seaweed in the

     coves give of the smell

of jellied salt------

   Reach, reach, some leaves

havent hastened near

enuf------Roll, roll, purl

the sand shark floor

a greeny pali andarva

------Ah back------Ah forth------

A shish------Boom, away,

doom, a day------Vein we

firm------The sea is We------

Parle, parle, boom the

 earth------Arree------Shaw,

 Sho, Shoosh, flut,

 ravad, tapavada pow,

coof, loof, roof, ------

     No,no,no,no,no,no------

     Oh ya, ya, ya, yo, yair------

   Shhh------

 

   Which one? the one? Which

one? The one ploshed------

 The ploshed one? the same,

  ah boom------Who’s that ant

that giant golden saltchange

ant magnifying my mountain

of feet? ‘Tis Finder, finding

 the change in thought to join

  the boomer hangers in the

 cave a light------And built a

  house above it? Never fear,

   naver foir, les bretons qui

parlent la langue de la Mar

 sont espanol comme le cul

  du Kurd qui dit le maha

 prajna paramita du Sud ?

  Ah oui ! Ke Vlum !

    Glum sea, silent me------

 

 They aint about to try

it them ants who wear

 out tunnels in a week

 the tunnel a million years

 won------no------Down around

  the headland slobs for weed,

 the chicken of the sea

  go yak! they sleep------

 Aroar, aroar, arah, aroo------

Otter me otter me daughter me sea

------me last blue lagoon inside of

 me, the sea------Divine is the

 substance all over the Sea---

    Of space we speak &

  hasten------Let no mouth

   swallow the sea------Gavril------

   Gavro------the Cherson chinese

    & Old Fingernail sea------Is

    ringin yr ear? Dier, dee?

      Is Virgin you trying to

             fathom me

 

  Tiresome old sea, aint you sick

   & tired of all of this merde?

 this incessant boom boom

& sand walk------you people

 hoary rockies here to Fuegie

 & never get sad? Or despair

 like a German phoney?

 Just gloom booboom & green

   on foggy nights------the fog is part

 of us------

      I know, but tired

  as I can be listening to all

  this silly majesty------

      Basho!

      Lao!

      Pop!

       Who is this fish

   sitting unsunk? Run up

   a Hawaii typhoon smash him

   against his rock------We’ll jelly you,

    jellied man, show you essential

       jello of the sea------King

        of the Sea.

 

No Monarc’h ever Irish be?

 Ju see the Irish sea?

Green winds on tamarack vines------

Joyce------James------Shhish------

 Sea------------Sssssss------see

------------Varash

------------mnavash la vache

      écriture------the sea dont say

 muc’h actually------

 

      Gosh, she,

huzzy, tow, led men

 on, Ulysses and all them

  fair headed moin------

  Terplash, & what difference

  make! One little white

   spark of light!

 Hair woven hands

  Penelope seaboat

  smeller------Courtiers in

    Telemachus ‘sguise

    dropedary dropedary

    creep------Or------

    Franc gold rippled

   that undersea creek

where fish fish for

  fisher men------Salteen

  breen the wet Souwesters

   of old Portugee Prayers

         Tsall tangled, changed,

   salt & drop the sand

     & weed & water brains

      entangled------Rats

      of old Venetian yellers

       Ariel Calibanned

        to Roma Port------

   Pow------spell------

     Speak you parler,

   in this my mother’s

     parlor, wash your

   undershoes when you

      come in, say thanks

    to foggy moon

 

    Go brash, Topahta

    offat, ------we’ll gray

     ye rose------Morning

     primord creeper sees

     the bird of paravision

    dying tweet the yellow

   mouthroof! How sweet

     the earth, yells sand!

        Xcept when tumble

   boom!

       O we wait too

   for Heaven------ all

   in One------

       All is there

   in fair & sight

 

   I’m going wash now

     old Pavia down,

    & pack my salt

      to Either Town------

    Cliffs of Antique

    aint got no rose,

    the morning’s seen

   the ledder pose------

    Boom de boom dey

     the sea is me------

     We are the sea------

      It aint all snow

 

We wash Fujiyama down

   soon, & sand

 crookbird back------

We hie bash

rock------------ak------

 Long   short------

 Long and easy------

 Wind & many freezing

bottoms an luckrock------

 Rappaport------

Endymion thou tangled

dreamer love my thigh

------Rose, Of Shelley,

 Rose, O Urns!

  Ogled urns in fish eye

 

   Cinco sea the Chico sea

  the Magellan headland sea

------What hype sideral did he put down

 bending beatnik sea goatee

 over old goat manuscripts

 to find the other side of Flat?

    See round, see the end of me?

 Rounden huge bedoom?

   Awp hole cave & shwrul------

  sand & salt & hair eyes

------Strong enuf to make

  coffee grow in your hair------

  Whose plantation Neptune got?

   That of Atlas still down there,

   Hesperid’s his feet, Sur his sleet,

    Irish Sea fingertip

   & Cornwall aye his soul

    bedoom

 

Shurning------Shurning------plop

 be dosh------This sigh old learning’s

 high beside me------Rough

  old hands have played out

 pedigree, we’ve sunk more boats

  than dreamer’ll ever ever see

------Burning------Burning------The world

 is burning & needs waaater

------I’ll have a daughter,

    oughter, wait & see------

     Churning, Churning, Me------

           Panties------Painties------

  these ancient fancies are

    so girling------You’ve not seen

   mermaids in my actual sea

------You’ve not seen sexlss babies

  with breasts of Majesty------

    My wife------My wife------

    Her name is Oh so really

           high life

 

The low life Kingdom where

we part out tea, is sea

 side Me------

      Josh------coof------patra------

  Aye ee mo powsh------

Ssst------Cum here read me------

 Dirty postcard------Urchin sea------

  Karash your name------?

 Wanta swim, sink or swim?

 Ears ringing again?

  Sea vibrate rhythm

 crash sets off cave

    hanger blowers whistling

 dog ear back------to sea------

   Arree------

     Gerudge Napoleon nada------

Nada

 

  Pluto eats the sea------

  Room------

  Hands folded by the sea------

 “On est toutes cachez, mange

le silence,“ dit les poissons de la

 mer------Ah Mar------Gott------

  Thalatta------Merde------Marde

  de mer------Mu mer------Mak a vash------

    The ocean is the mother------

    Je ne suis pas mauvaise quand j’sui

     tranquil------dans les tempetes

     j’cri ! Come une folle !

      j’mange, j’arranche toutes!

      Clock------Clack------Milk------

      Mai! mai! mai! ma!

      says the wind blowing sand------

       Pluto eats the sea------

         Ami go------------da------che pop

         Go------Come------Cark------

        Care------Kee ter da vo

      Kataketa pow! Kek kek kek!

      Kwakiutl! Kik!

       Some of theserather taratasters

trapped hyra tchere thaped

 the anadondak ram ma lat

round by Krul to Pat the lat

   rat the anaakakalked

   romon t o t t e k

    Kara VOOOM

   frup------

      Feet cold? wade------Mind sore?

sim------sin------Horny? ------lay the sea?

 Corny? try me------

     Ussens here hang no more

 here we go, ka va ra ta

plowsh, shhh,

 and more, again, ke vlook

 ke bloom & here comes

   big Mister Trosh

   ------more waves coming,

  every sillable windy

 

  Back wash palaver

paralarle------paralleling

parle pe Saviour

 

A troblesome spirit

hanging here cant make it

 in the void------The sea’ll

only drown me------These words

 are affectations

of sick mortality------

  We try to make our way

 in self reliance, aid

  not ever comes too quick

  from whereever & whatever

  heaven dear may have

  suggested to promise us------

 

But these waves scare me------

I am going to die

 in full despair------

 Wake up where?

  On second breath in life

 the atmosphere is dearer

  maybe closer to Heaven

------------Oh Paradise------------

Is the sea really so bad?

 Have you sent men

here for this cold clown

& monstrous eater at the

 world? whose sound

    I mock?

 

God I’ve got believe in you

 or live in death!

 Will you save us------all?

    Soon or now?

 Send illumination

  to our drowning brains

------We’re pitiful, Lord,

 we need yr help!

  Save us, Dear------

 (Save yourself, God man,

    ha ha!)

 If you were God man

you’d command these waves

 to very well Tennyson stop

   & even Tennyson

      is dear

          now dead

Leave it to the light

 Concern yourself with supper,

  & an eye

 

  somebody’s eye------a wife,

 a girl, a friend, an animal

------a blood let drop------

 he for his sea,

  he for his fire,

   thee for thy desire

 

 “The sea drove me away

  & yelled ‘Go to your desire!’

------As I hurried up the valley

It added one last yell:-

        ‘And laugh!”

 

      Even the sea cant stop me from

     writing something to read in my old age

------This is the chart of brief forms,

    this sea the briefest------Shish yourself------

After scaring me like that, Mar,

I’ll excoriate yr slum------yr

  iodine weeds & slime hoops,

  even yr dried hollow seaweed

    stinks------you stink all over------

   Boom------Try that, creep------

    The little Monterey fishingboat

   glides downward home 15 miles to go,

   be home to fried fish & beer b’five------

   It guides the sea its bird routes------

 ------Silver loss forever outward

------From blue sky of human bridges

 to the massive mawcloud sea center

 heap------to the gray------

   Some boys call it gunboat blue,

   or gray, but I call it

   the Civil War of Rocks

------Rocks ‘come air, rocks ‘come water,

     & rocks rocks------

Kara tavira, mnash grand bash

------poosh l’abas------croosh

 L’a haut------Plash au pied------

  Peeeee------Rolle test boulles------

   Manche d’la rache------

    The handsome King prevails

   over boom sing bird head------

  “Crache tes idées,” spit yr ideas

   says the sea, to me, quite

   appro priate ly------

      Pss! pss! pss!

      Ps! girl inside!

      Red shoes scum, eyes of old

  sorceres, toenails hanging down

    in the barrel of old firkin cheese

    the Dutchman forgot t’eat that

                             tempest

                      nineteen O

                          sixteen------

  When torpedoed by gunboat

    Pedro in  the Valley

of a Million Fees?

 

When Magellan crosseyed

 ate the Amazonian feet------

And, Ah, when Colombo cross’t!

When Drake sir francised the waves

 with feeding of the blue jay

  dark------pounded his aleward

 tank before the boom,

 housed up all thoughts of Erik

  the Red the Greenland caperer

& builder of rockdungs in New

  Port------New------yet

 Oldport Indian Fishhead------

 Oldport Tattoo Kwakiutl Headpost

   taboo potash Coyotl potlatch?

Old Primitive Columbia.------

Named for Colom bus?

 Name for Aruggio Vesmarica------

  Ar!------Or!------Da!

    What about Verrazano?

 he sailed!------

        He Verrazano zailed & we

  statened his Island in on deep

 

in on dashun------

        Rotted the Wallower?

   Sinners liars goodmen all

 sink waterswim drink Neptune’s

  nectar the zal sotat------------

    Zal sotate name for crota?

   Crota ta crotte, you aint

   ‘bout to find (Jesus Christian!)

  any dry turds here below------

     Why fo no?

      Go crash yonder rock

    of bleak with yr filet mignon teeth

      & see------For you, the hearth,

       the heart, the lock of hair------

        For me, for us, the Sea,

       the murdering of time by eating

        lusty cracks of lip feed wave

         at aeons of sandy artistry

        till nothing’s left but old age

              newmorning primordial pain

           of sitters by

             the unborn

                 bird

             of roses yet undone------

 

    With weeds your roses,

sand crabs your hummers?

With buzzers in the sea!

 With runners in the deep!

This Sceptred Osh, this wide leg

 spanning rock U.S. to rock

  Ja Pan, this onstable

  roller roaming all,

  this ploosher at yr gory

   dry dung door, this mouth

  of silverwhite arring to hold thee,

   this purger of conscience

   arra for thee------

   No mouse in here but’s got

    a little glee------and

    aft, or oft, the osprey

    in his glee’s agley------

       Oh purty purty ocean

          me------

          Sop! bring the Scepter down

 Again you’ve accepted me!

 

 Breathe our iodine, filthy yr drink,

faint at feet wet, drop

  yr profile move it in the sea,

float weeded watery Adonais

 longs for thee------& Shelley three,

  that’s three------burn in salt

with slow most change------

We’ve had no crack at eternity

in a billion years of trying------

   one grain of sand possesses

 3 thousand worlds of glee------

 not to mention me------

          Ah sea

 

   Ah si------Ah so------

shoot------shiver------mix------

 ha roll------tara------ta ta------

 curlurck------Kayash------Kee------

Pearls pearls in the yellow West

------Yellow sky to China------

Pacific we named here

 water as always meeting

 water------Pacific Pacific

  Pacific tapfic------geroom------

gedowsh------gaka------gaya------

  Tatha------gata------mana------

  What sails used old bhikkus?

  Dhikkus? Dhikkus!

What raft mailed Mose

to the hoven dovepost?

  What saved Blackswirl

   from the Kidd plank?

What Go-Bug here?

 Seet! Seeeeeeeeeee

 eeeeeee------kara------

  Pounders out yar------

 

Big Sur they call this sand

 these rocks this creek?

 Raton Canyon by name pours

 Coyote leaves & old Pomo bones

& old dust of Tomahawks

  into your angler’d maw------

  My salt maw shall salvage

  Taylors------sewing in the room

                   below------

Sewing weed shrat for hikers

 in the milky silt------

 Sewing crosswards

   for certainty------Sartan

 are we of Price Victory

 in this salt War with thee

 & thine thee jellied yink!

   Look O the sea here called

    Pacific Sea!

         T a k i !

 

My golden empty soul’ll

outlast yr salty sill

------the Windows of my jelly eye

 & fish head muck look out on thee,

  slit, with cigar-a-mouth,

 some contempt------

       Yet I hie me to see you

------you hie thee to eat

   me------Fair in sight

    and worn, aright------

Arra! Aroo!

  Ger der va------

  Silly silent cities in the sea

 have children playing cardboard

mush with eignyard old Englander

   beeplates slickered oer with scum

         of histories below------

No tempest as still & awful

       as the tempest within------

Sorcerer hip! Buddhalands

    & Buddhaseas!

 What sails Maudgalyayana used

  he only knows to tell

 but got kilt by yellers

sreaming down the cliff

        “Let’s go home!

               Now!”

------leave marge smashed djamas

Maudgalyayana was murdered by the sea------

    But the sea dont tell------

 The sea dont murder------

 The seadrang scholars

  oughter know that

         or

  go back to School

 

 Hear over there the ocean motor?

Feel the splawrsh of it?

 Six silly centepedes here, Machree------

      Ah Ratatatatatat------

the machinegun sea, rhythmic

 balls of your pouring in

 with smooth eglantinee

  in yr pedigreed milkpup

    tenor------

  Tinder marsh aright arrooo------

   arrac’h------arrache------

  Kamac’h------monarc’h------

    Kerarc’h Jevac’h------

   Tamana------------gavow------

     Va------Voovla------Via------

     Mia------mine------

         sea

         poo

 

  Farewell, Sur------

 

  Didja ever tell him

 about water meeting water------?

O go back to otter------

  Term------Term------Klerm

Kerm------Kurn------Cow------Kow------

 Cash------Cac’h------------Cluck------

  Clock------Gomeat sea need

    be deep I see you

         Enoc’h

       soon anarf

    in Old Brittany

 

 

 

21 August 1960

Pacific Ocean at Big Sur

California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





BACK