Elegy Written In A Shipwreck
We have repulsed the Armada!
Did not drown! We Yet alive!
Hail soldiers! My fellow warriors
And O Captain! My Captain!
Take my Gratitude and prayers.
Wounds will heal, pain disappears.
Taste of win kills every despair.
Yet my heart aches for what I lost―
Lo, the sea’s grim fury hath wrought its toll,
Where bloodied waves in battle’s tempest roll.
Thy captain bold, in war’s fierce embrace,
Now weeps 'fore God, in sorrow’s solemn grace.
Amidst the shattered hulls and briny spray,
I stand, a captain lone at close of day.
Through tempests fierce and battles' raging cries,
Our ship once proud, now torn beneath the skies.
In victory’s bitter grasp, no cheer I find,
For what we’ve won is drenched in loss unkind.
My ship, once proud, now broken, rent apart,
Bears witness to the anguish in my heart.
Oh, comrades, who fought beside me true,
Your valor and your deeds, I now review.
Yet now your voices fade, forever still,
Lost 'neath the waves, against rival’s will.
O gentle souls, now rest in peaceful grace,
In shadowed depths, where time cannot erase.
I praise thee now, thy courage and thy might,
In halls of Hades, where no sun doth light.
But as I weep for all that’s gone awry,
I glimpse our foe, who fought as we did try.
Ships lie wrecked, their hearts in sorrow’s shroud,
We share the grief of loss in silence of loud.
Across the chasm of the battle’s fray,
We stand together in this grim dismay.
Families left to mourn, to grieve, to cry,
Dreams and futures 'neath the waves now lie.
O mighty Odin, hear this mournful cry,
Why hath thou tak’n my loved ones, mine eye?
With valor true, they fought 'neath raging skies,
Where cannons roared and souls did fiercely rise.
And in my helplessness, I turn to thee,
O gods of old, from whom all fates decree.
Why was this war ordained by powers high?
What purpose served in making brave men die?
Before the vast expanse of sea and sky,
I cry in anguish, asking heavens why!
For nature hears my lamentation deep,
And waves respond with sorrow’s endless weep.
Amid the clash of swords and cannon’s roar,
We fought as lions on a distant shore.
Air was thick with smoke and sobs of pain,
Each thundering shot a life forever slain.
In the heat of battle, iron birds did scream,
And decks aflame like dragon's fiery gleam.
Our swords were lightning, swift and bold,
Striking down foes with a vengeance untold.
The sea itself boiled with rage and with ire,
Poseidon himself had set the ocean on fire.
Our ship, a titan amidst the tumultuous fray,
Withstood the onslaught, though battered and grey.
Yet amidst the chaos, I find no peace,
In knowing that our struggles shall not cease.
For though we’ve lost so much in this cruel fight,
Our spirits dim with each encroaching night.
So here I stand, a captain in despair,
Whose victory is paid with heavy fare.
This elegy I offer to the skies,
Where live now thousands goodbyes.
O gods of old, lend solace to their kin,
Whose hearts break for those who’ll ne’er return.
Here I stand, with heart o’erflowed in woe,
My brothers gone, like leaves in winter’s snow.
So raise thy banners high, in honor's name,
For those who faced the tempest's fiery flame.
Rest now, dear comrades, in Valhalla's hall,
Where heroes dwell, and brave hearts hear the call.
Farewell, my brethren, 'neath the heavens wide,
In glory's embrace, forever shall ye abide.
And I, thy captain, here in grief profound,
Shall hold thy memories, in solemn love bound.
