05. The Ship of Bone | Moby-Dick Act I: The Call of the Sea

[The Scene] Having left the inn together, Ishmael and Queequeg reach the harbour in search of a ship that will carry them to sea. Among the vessels at the quay, the Pequod immediately captures Ishmael’s attention. Its weathered timbers and whalebone ornamentation promise adventure, but also display the violence of the trade they are about to enter. With Queequeg beside him, Ishmael accepts that unease and chooses the Pequod, bringing the two friends to the threshold of their shared voyage. [Verse 1] I walk the quay where waiting vessels lie, And lift my eyes to rigging in the sky. Among them one arrests my wandering gaze, A darker shape beneath the morning haze. [Verse 2] Her timbers promise oceans yet unknown, Yet round her sides are trophies made of bone. The hunter's craft is written on her frame, And beauty wears the shadow of its aim. [Chorus] Yet still towards her weathered decks I'm drawn, As if they lead beyond the harbour dawn. I choose the course though shadows line the way, And trust the sea to teach me what they say. [Verse 3] I came for labour, salt and driven foam, To make the moving ocean once my home. Yet here another truth is plainly known, A hunter's voyage leaves its mark in bone. [Verse 4] My friend beside me meets the choice with calm, His steady presence gives my doubts a balm. We seek a berth upon the selfsame crew, And turn together towards waters new. [Chorus] Yet still towards her weathered decks I'm drawn, As if they lead beyond the harbour dawn. I choose the course though shadows line the way, And trust the sea to teach me what they say. [Verse 5] What waits beyond the harbour I can't know, Nor where the tides of fortune make us go. But something in this vessel holds my sight, A promise edged with something less than light. [Outro] I place my name where voyage and fate align, And make this weathered ship's long course with mine. I choose the Pequod, whatever waits for me, And carry both my hope and doubt to sea.