Profile of a captain

Today a rude brief recitative,
Of ships sailing the seas, each with its
  special flag or ship-signal;
Of unnamed heroes in the ships--Of waves
  spreading and spreading, far as the eye
  can reach,
Of dashing spray, and the winds piping and
  blowing;
And out of these a chant, for the sailors of
  all nations,
Fitful, like a surge.

Of sea-captains young or old, and the mates
  --and of all intrepid sailors,
Of the few, very choice, taciturn, whom fate
  can never surprise, nor death dismay,
Pick'd sparingly, without noise, by thee, old
  Ocean--chosen by thee,
Thou Sea that pickest and cullest the race,
  in time, and unitest nations,
Suckled by thee, old husky Nurse--
  embodying thee!
Indomitable, untamed as thee.

(Ever the heroes, on water or on land, by
  ones or twos appearing,
Ever the stock preserv'd and never lost,
  though rare--enough for seed preserv'd.)

Flaunt out, O Sea, your separate flags of
  nations!
Flaunt out, visible as ever, the various
  ship-signals!
But do you reserve especially for yourself,
 and for the soul of man, one flag above
  all the rest,
A spiritual woven signal for all nations,
  emblem of man elate above death,
Token of all brave captains, and all intrepid
  sailors and mates,
And all that went down doing their duty;
Reminiscent of them--twined from all
  intrepid captains, young or old;
A pennant universal, subtly waving, all time,
  o'er all brave sailors,
All seas, all ships.

                                      --Walt Whitman