It is said that the seals have the ability to take on human form. The seal people, though they like to live near the sea, dare not ever go back into it, or else they immediately revert to their original form and lose the ability ever to take on human form again.
Peter Kagan and the Wind - Gordon Bok
Peter Kagan was a lonely man in the summer of his years. One day he got tired of being lonely, and he went away, off to the east. And when he came again he had a wife. She was strange, but she was kind and people liked her. She was good for Kagan. She kept him company and winter come to summer they were happy.
Kagan had a dory then, with a lugsail on her mast. He used to go offshore three, maybe four, days at a time setting out for the fish. Oh his wife was sad then. She didn't like to see him go. She'd go down to the sea sometimes and call to him...
Kagan, Kagan, Kagan,
Bring the dory home.
Wind and sea do follow thee,
And all the ledges calling thee.
He says he could hear her singing twenty miles to sea, and when he heard he, he'd come home, if he had fish or none.
She was a seal, you know, everyone knew that. Even Kagan, he knew that, but nobody would say it to him.
Then, one day, in that year's autumn, Kagan says "I've got to go now. Go offshore and get some fish.'' But she says "No, don't go away!" She starts crying, "Please don't go. The wind is coming and the snow."
Kagan, Kagan, Kagan,
Don't go out to sea,
The stormy wind and snow do come,
And, oh, but I do fear for thee.
But Kagan is not afraid of snow, and it's early in the year. He puts his oars in and he goes to sea. Kagan sails out on the middle ground. The wind is west all day and the fish are coming to him. Kagan reads the writing on the water and in the sky. He sees the haze up very high above the clouds. He says, "That's all right for autumn - only a change of wind. I'm not afraid of wind.''
But Kagan reads it wrong this time. The wind goes away and then comes back southeast. And the fog comes round.
Kagan says, "I've got to go now. I'll find that gong buoy off the sunken ledges and I'll know the best way home.'' He puts up a sail and he bears away to the Nor'ard for the gong.
But, oh, the wind is watching.
The wind backs around to the east'ard and raises on. They sail a long time and the sail is pulling very hard. Finally the wind is so strong that the sail tears out. Kagan takes it in and the dory goes a-drifting.
But then he hears that gong buoy. It isn’t very far away.
Kagan, Kagan, Kagan,
Bring the dory home.
The wind and sea do follow thee,
And all the ledges calling thee.
But the dory goes a-drifting, and by and by the buoy goes away. Kagan says, “Okay.'' He puts the oars in and starts to row back up for the gong.
But, oh, the wind is watching. The wind backs around northeast, making the seas confused. The wind says, “Listen, I have something to tell you.''
Kagan, a-rowing, “I don't want to hear it.''
The wind humps up now, makes the sea short, makes it hard for him to row. Finally the seas are so steep Kagan knows he isn't getting anywhere. He takes the oars in and the dory goes a-drifting now.
Kagan says, “Okay, now I've got something to show you.'' He takes a slip of wood to make a needle, he waxes up a hand line for a thread. And he sews the sail up smaller, he sews a reef in it.
The wind says, “What're you doing?''
Kagan says, “You keeping watching.''
Kagan puts the sail up now and he bears away to the nor'ard for the gong.
But, oh, the wind is watching now.
The wind backs north-northeast. Kagan can't hold his course now. Kagan says, “Okay then.'' He brings the boat about, now he's steering east.
The wind says, “You're heading out to sea.''
Kagan says, “I'm not afraid of water. I'll come about by and by when I fetch that gong.''
The wind says, “I'll veer on you; I'll go east again.''
Kagan says “You go ahead and I can hold my course again.''
The wind says, “I'll back.''
Kagan says, “You back too far and you're gonna have to clear, you know that. I can keep ahead of you.''
The wind says, “You may be smarter but I'm stronger. You watch.'' The wind gets bigger and blows harder. Finally there’s too much wind. The sail says, “I can't do it!''
Kagan says, “I know that. Thank you.''
He takes the sail in, and the dory goes a-drifting.
Kagan takes the sail off the yard and he pulls it around him. “Now, you keep me warm.”
The wind says, “He can't keep you warm.''
The wind snatches off north by east. “I'll freeze you.''
Kagan says, “I'm not afraid of cold!''
But Kagan is afraid. He doesn’t know what to do. And oh, the wind is working now.
The wind brings ice and snow. The wind blows long and long and black.
Kagan says, "I'm dying. Sail, keep me warm!" and the sail says, "I can't do it, Peter."
Kagan dying, and the wind blows.
Kagan, Kagan, Kagan,
Turn thee now to me.
Turn thy back unto the wind
And all the weary windy sea.
Kagan, Kagan, Kagan,
Lay thee down to sleep.
For I do come to comfort thee
All and thy dear body keep.
So Kagan lies down in the bottom of the boat, and tries not to be afraid of the dying. And he dreamed of her then, of his wife. He dreamed she was coming to him, and he heard a great calling down the wind and he lifted his head and he saw her coming to him. Down the smoking sea she came and over the rail of the dory she came, and laughing, to his arms.
And all in the night and in the storm they did lay, and the wind and the sea went away.
So in the morning they found him. Asleep, with a sail wrapped around him. And there was a seal, lying with him, curled over him like a blanket there, and the snow was upon the seal.
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