Notes About The Poem
The book "We, the Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific" (1972) by David Lewis dispelled the myth that the people of the Pacific Islands were blown willy nilly when lost to spread to other island. His groundbreaking ethnographic and nautical study explores how traditional Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian navigators voyaged across the vast Pacific Ocean—long using very smart methods and their vast knowledge of the ocean and stories passed down between generations.
[ hear the song ]
Listen to poem:
Ways of Providence
Oh, come, gather up close to hear my story.
Of how ancient navigators crossed the sea to glory.
Going between Pacific islands with fantastic skill,
Using Providence to guide with nature's goodwill.
“It’s chance—they will never find their way."
“No compass drawn, no map to mark the day.”
“They drifted and then caught some lucky breeze."
"They stumbled blindly, blown across the seas."
Listen up well; the islanders knew their trades.
Using stars, waves, and nature as their aids.
With winds behind them, they raised their sails.
Gliding on currents to follow their trails.
On the vast sea, our journey is so long.
We sing and chant our travelers' song.
With divine winds and waves as our guide,
We know our way to our isles is open wide.
By day, they kept the sun in line with the mast.
At night, the stars kept their course steadfast.
They passed down their stories in the songs sung
With lines, they learned in their native tongue.
They used what nature provided in clever ways.
Hoisting sails when winds lead through the maze.
Paddling when foul winds would lead them astray.
Drifting on currents that came by, to play.
They knew when an island was close by.
By reading the signs, they saw in the sky.
Watching for land birds foraging at sea.
Trailing them home to where, both wanted to be.
They watched the waves for redirection.
And turned their path in that direction.
Trusting in their gods and stories for their guide,
In the vast ocean with islands scattered far and wide.
On the vast sea, our journey is so long.
We sing and chant our travelers' song.
With divine winds and waves as our guide,
We know our way to our isles is open wide.
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