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The Seafarer

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What was the spiritual journey of the seafarer?

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The Seafarer's spiritual journey begins with an arrogant belief that the best things in life are material goods, and ends with a realization of divine worth: to love God, not man.

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By giving up the normal human comforts of home, hearth, and family to embrace the loneliness and cold suffering of the seas, the seafarer embarks on a spiritual journey in which he discovers the true meaning of life.

In lines 39–43, the seafarer lists what are considered secular signs of favor and virtue, such as pride, bravery, great giftedness, being young, and being a favorite of one's lord. These, he says, provide no protection on the sea, which can destroy anyone, regardless of how privileged they are on land. In essence, since all of life is a journey in an unsafe world, what we usually think of as giving us security is worthless.

By the end of the poem, the seafarer's spiritual journey has led him to value a less worldly set of virtues. These include humility, purity, spiritual strength, and integrity. Perhaps most counter-culturally in terms of his violent medieval culture, the seafarer embraces nonviolence as a spiritual principle. Rather than worrying about his enemies, the seafarer keeps his eyes on God.

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The Seafarer's spiritual journey involves his love of the sea and all the range of emotions he runs through as he is sailing.  He suffers from the pain and the cruelty of the weather and the hard work, yet he is elated during the calm times where he can delight in the birds and the beauty that surrounds him.  When he is back on land, he aches to be back at sea.  The women, the food, the drink, the creature comforts on land should hold him there, but the sea is such a part of him and he loves it so much that he can not stay away.

Toward the end of the poem, the Seafarer utters a prayer.

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