24. No Other Course | Moby-Dick Act III: The Price of the Chase

[Verse 1]
I see the oil run loose within the hold,
And count its worth in labour and in gold.
The men have earned each barrel night and day,
I will not watch their wages wash away.

[Verse 2]
Your words are hard, I know the claim you make,
The ship has more than pride itself at stake.
I give the order: mend each broken seam,
And save the cargo wrought through smoke and steam.

[Chorus]
I give the crew their hours to guard our store,
And see that oil flows from those seams no more.
Yet no other course can break my will,
The white whale lives, and I pursue him still.

[Verse 3]
I know the men have earned the share they claim,
Their oil is not the fuel for my own flame.
Their labour matters, though my thoughts are drawn,
To one pale shape beyond each coming dawn.

[Verse 4]
I can command the work that lies at hand,
And still pursue the purpose I have planned.
I'll grant the men the hours to see it through,
Then turn again to what I must pursue.

[Chorus]
I give the crew their hours to guard our store,
And see that oil flows from those seams no more.
Yet no other course can break my will,
The white whale lives, and I pursue him still.

[Verse 5]
I hear the hammers striking through the night,
And know the crew will set the damage right.
Yet every blow that seals the leaking seam,
Leaves one white shape still burning in my dream.

[Verse 6]
I grant this pause because the ship must last,
To bear us onward when the work is past.
However far the Pequod's courses run,
My reckoning with the whale is not yet done.

[Chorus]
I give the crew their hours to guard our store,
And see that oil flows from those seams no more.
Yet no other course can break my will,
The white whale lives, and I pursue him still.

[Outro]
The casks shall stand, I grant the men their due,
Go save the oil and see the labour through.
Then let the Pequod take the ocean's swell,
Towards one white whale whose mark I know too well.

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[The Scene] Following Starbuck’s confrontation over the leaking oil, Ahab reluctantly acknowledges that the Pequod’s cargo must be preserved. He orders the damaged casks repaired, granting the crew time to protect the fruits of their dangerous labour. Yet this practical concession offers Starbuck little reassurance. Ahab remains consumed by the pursuit of Moby Dick, regarding the repairs as a temporary interruption rather than a reason to reconsider his course. As the crew return to their work, the conflict between duty and obsession remains unresolved, bringing the act to a close with the Pequod still bound to its captain’s destructive purpose. [Verse 1] I see the oil run loose within the hold, And count its worth in labour and in gold. The men have earned each barrel night and day, I will not watch their wages wash away. [Verse 2] Your words are hard, I know the claim you make, The ship has more than pride itself at stake. I give the order: mend each broken seam, And save the cargo wrought through smoke and steam. [Chorus] I give the crew their hours to guard our store, And see that oil flows from those seams no more. Yet no other course can break my will, The white whale lives, and I pursue him still. [Verse 3] I know the men have earned the share they claim, Their oil is not the fuel for my own flame. Their labour matters, though my thoughts are drawn, To one pale shape beyond each coming dawn. [Verse 4] I can command the work that lies at hand, And still pursue the purpose I have planned. I'll grant the men the hours to see it through, Then turn again to what I must pursue. [Chorus] I give the crew their hours to guard our store, And see that oil flows from those seams no more. Yet no other course can break my will, The white whale lives, and I pursue him still. [Verse 5] I hear the hammers striking through the night, And know the crew will set the damage right. Yet every blow that seals the leaking seam, Leaves one white shape still burning in my dream. [Verse 6] I grant this pause because the ship must last, To bear us onward when the work is past. However far the Pequod's courses run, My reckoning with the whale is not yet done. [Chorus] I give the crew their hours to guard our store, And see that oil flows from those seams no more. Yet no other course can break my will, The white whale lives, and I pursue him still. [Outro] The casks shall stand, I grant the men their due, Go save the oil and see the labour through. Then let the Pequod take the ocean's swell, Towards one white whale whose mark I know too well.

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