O Sailor, Come Ashore Lyrics
Someone calls to a sailor and asks what he has brought back. He answers red coral and white coral from the sea, and adds that he did not dig it from the ground or pick it from a tree. Feeble insects made it.
O Sailor, Come Ashore
O sailor, come ashore,
What have you brought for me?
Red coral, white coral,
Coral from the sea.
I did not dig it from the ground,
Nor pluck it from a tree;
Feeble insects made it
In the stormy sea.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/o-sailor-come-ashore/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Christina Rossetti
- Tune
- Call and answer: a bright question, then a slower, proud reply
- Best for ages
- 4 to 8 years
Hand Motions and Actions
| When you sing | Do this |
|---|---|
| O sailor, come ashore, | Cup your hands to your mouth and wave an arm to call someone in. |
| Coral from the sea. | Wave your hands in slow waves like the sea. |
What Does O Sailor, Come Ashore Mean?
The first verse is the question and the second the reply, like a very short riddle with an answer. The sailor has brought coral, red and white, and he says where it did not come from: not dug from the ground like a mineral, and not plucked from a tree like fruit. It was made by feeble insects in the stormy sea.
Today the builders of coral are known to be tiny sea animals called coral polyps, not insects, but the poem's surprise is right: something hard, bright and jewel-like is built by very small creatures. According to the National Ocean Service, coral reefs are made from the skeletons of these animals (NOAA). Feeble means weak, so the contrast is between small, weak builders and the hard coral they leave behind.
History and Origin
Christina Rossetti's Sing-Song came out in 1872. In her day, popular books often called the tiny builders of coral "coral insects", which is why the poem uses the word insects.
Learning Activities
- Where from? name things and ask whether they come from the ground, a tree or the sea: a carrot, an apple, a shell, a pearl.
- Look at coral: find a picture of a coral reef and spot the red and white colours.
- Treasure call: one person is the sailor and the other asks 'What have you brought for me?', answering with a pretend gift.
- Small builders: talk about other small creatures that build, such as bees with wax and ants with soil.