15. One Whale, One Wound, One Will | Moby-Dick Act II: The Captain’s Purpose

[Verse 1]
You speak of oil, of wages, trade and gain,
As though such sums could reckon with my pain.
You ask this ship to follow common law,
I answer with the purpose that I saw.

[Verse 2]
One whale remains behind each waking thought,
One wound recalls the battle that I fought.
One will has held its course through every year,
And now the sea must bring that quarry near.

[Chorus]
One whale, one wound, one will command my way,
Until the white shape rises into day.
Let every other quarry cross the sea,
The one that marked my flesh must answer me.

[Verse 3]
You speak of homes where waiting windows burn,
Of men who trust a captain to return.
I know those claims, I hear the words you make,
Yet none can turn the course I mean to take.

[Verse 4]
Reason can weigh the cargo, chart the tide,
But reason cannot master what I hide.
The wound has made a compass of my frame,
Its needle turns forever to one name.

[Chorus]
One whale, one wound, one will command my way,
Until the white shape rises into day.
Let every other quarry cross the sea,
The one that marked my flesh must answer me.

[Verse 5]
You call it vengeance, private, blind and vain,
I call it purpose hammered out of pain.
The sea is wide, yet every course I choose,
Returns to him, and I will not refuse.

[Verse 6]
Let other whales rise black against the foam,
They are not what has driven me from home.
Let other captains reckon loss and gain,
I steer beyond the measure of their chain.

[Chorus]
One whale, one wound, one will command my way,
Until the white shape rises into day.
Let every other quarry cross the sea,
The one that marked my flesh must answer me.

[Outro]
So keep your counsel, Starbuck, firm and clear,
I hear it well, but it will never steer.
One whale remains beneath the boundless sky,
One wound remains, one will until I die.

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[The Scene] Starbuck’s appeal to duty and the safety of the crew meets Ahab’s absolute refusal to reconsider. Before the assembled sailors, Ahab dismisses profit, ordinary whaling and every argument that might divert him from Moby Dick. The wound that has governed him in private now becomes an openly declared purpose, and his authority presses that obsession upon the entire ship. Starbuck understands that reason alone will not move his captain, while the crew are drawn ever more deeply into Ahab’s determination. [Verse 1] You speak of oil, of wages, trade and gain, As though such sums could reckon with my pain. You ask this ship to follow common law, I answer with the purpose that I saw. [Verse 2] One whale remains behind each waking thought, One wound recalls the battle that I fought. One will has held its course through every year, And now the sea must bring that quarry near. [Chorus] One whale, one wound, one will command my way, Until the white shape rises into day. Let every other quarry cross the sea, The one that marked my flesh must answer me. [Verse 3] You speak of homes where waiting windows burn, Of men who trust a captain to return. I know those claims, I hear the words you make, Yet none can turn the course I mean to take. [Verse 4] Reason can weigh the cargo, chart the tide, But reason cannot master what I hide. The wound has made a compass of my frame, Its needle turns forever to one name. [Chorus] One whale, one wound, one will command my way, Until the white shape rises into day. Let every other quarry cross the sea, The one that marked my flesh must answer me. [Verse 5] You call it vengeance, private, blind and vain, I call it purpose hammered out of pain. The sea is wide, yet every course I choose, Returns to him, and I will not refuse. [Verse 6] Let other whales rise black against the foam, They are not what has driven me from home. Let other captains reckon loss and gain, I steer beyond the measure of their chain. [Chorus] One whale, one wound, one will command my way, Until the white shape rises into day. Let every other quarry cross the sea, The one that marked my flesh must answer me. [Outro] So keep your counsel, Starbuck, firm and clear, I hear it well, but it will never steer. One whale remains beneath the boundless sky, One wound remains, one will until I die.

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