The Building of the Ship: Sail On, O Ship of State
I cannot, without great emotion, recite the closing words to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem, The Building of the Ship:
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee,
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o’er our fears,
Are all with thee, — are all with thee!
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Longfellow
Longfellow wove into his ship-building poem a beautiful metaphor–a call for courage–that shines like a golden ray of hope for our day: the idea that the Ship serves as an emblem of the Union, O Ship of State!
Ship-building requires tremendous amounts of time, labor, and sacrifice.
State-building requires the same.
These final lines of the poem reference the sacrifice that goes into building a state, a union, a nation, and the responsibility that is ours to defend and preserve these long fought for liberties:
Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State!
Sail on, O Union, strong and great!
Humanity with all its fears,
With all the hopes of future years,
Is hanging breathless on thy fate!
We know what Master laid thy keel,
What Workmen wrought thy ribs of steel,
Who made each mast, and sail, and rope,
What anvils rang, what hammers beat,
In what a forge and what a heat
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope!
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Fear not each sudden sound and shock,
‘T is of the wave and not the rock;
‘T is but the flapping of the sail,
And not a rent made by the gale!
In spite of rock and tempest’s roar,
In spite of false lights on the shore,
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea!
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee,
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears,
Our faith triumphant o’er our fears,
Are all with thee, — are all with thee!
Abraham Lincoln
In the books of history we learn that on the threshold of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln quoted Longellow’s poem, beginning with the majestic line:
… Sail on, 0 Ship of State!
His secretary, Nicolay, declared: “These lines seemed to stir something deep in Lincoln. His eyes filled with tears and his cheeks were wet. He did not speak for some minutes, but finally said with simplicity: ‘It is a wonderful gift to be able to stir men like that!'”
Today we stand on the threshold of eternity, and Longfellow’s poem of ship and State-building speaks to us still.
Like the valiant men and women of days past, will we offer not only our hearts, hopes, prayers, tears, and faith in defense of the great Ship of State, but also our time, labor, and sacrifice?
Will we remember those who came before us?
Will we lead the way for those who follow behind?
We know what Master laid [the] keel,
What Workmen wrought [the] ribs of steel
Leaving a Legacy
Will our children and grandchildren say the same of us?
Longfellow’s timeless and poetic words of wisdom have the power to move us to action.
It is, indeed, a wonderful gift to be able to stir men like that.
Read the full poem, The Building of the Ship by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, here >>>
Take Action
Individuals, families, and communities can take action to protect family, faith, and freedom. Following are creative resources to get you started:
- 70+ Creative Ways To Protect Family, Faith, And Freedom: Family, faith, and freedom are the founding principles of life. A quick dive into my family history reminds me just how foundational these principles are. Be sure to check out the list of creative action ideas at the end of this post. But first, let’s travel back in time to the American Civil War and The Battle of Gettysburg:
- 30 Freedom Loving Patriotic Activities for the Whole Family: Patriotic activities for the whole family inspire a love for freedom. Both young and old have opportunities to fight for, protect, and defend our freedoms.
- Joan, France, And Our Journey To Hold On To Hope: Today, when the state of our country and world feels increasingly hopeless, let us, like Joan in France, hold on to hope.
- 12 Characteristics of God’s Chosen People: Developing characteristics of God’s chosen people will lead one to a life of service, fulfillment, and joy. These twelve characteristics can help increase one’s desire to be a “light on the hill”.
- Free Printable Resources: Enjoy this selection of printables, including poetry, checklists, quotes, and more.
Shop Longfellow
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Quotes
“…everything–not just America, but the world–needs God as a first principle to make any sense at all. I think this is starting to dawn on people, even as the death of the old order fills our ears with ugly noise. When the princes are finished raging against God and His anointed, we can get on with what comes next.”
Spencer Klavan, 17 October 2024
“Freedom is the cornerstone of any society that values human dignity.”
Unknown
“When the world speaks of freedom today, it is often in the context of ‘freedom from rules’…True freedom is not measured so much by what is prohibited, it is measured by our choices that lead us to who we can and will become.”
Dieter R. Uchtdorf, “Finding Strength in the Atonement of Jesus Christ”, Ensign College Devotional, 27 October 2024
“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God then we will be a nation gone under.”
Ronald Reagan
“Where there is no law, there is no freedom.”
John Locke
“There is only one decision you need to make: You are either working at your Freedom or you are accepting your bondage.”
Robert Adams
“Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech; which is the right of every man as far as by it he does not hurt or control the right of another; and this is the only check it ought to suffer and the only bounds it ought to know…. Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech, a thing terrible to traitors.”
Benjamin Franklin
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