Today’s daily prompt (optional, as always) again comes from our archives. I’m playing to my own strengths here, but I challenge you to write a sea shanty (or shantey, or chanty, or chantey — there’s a good deal of disagreement regarding the spelling!) Anyway, these are poems in the forms of songs, strongly rhymed and rhythmic, that sailors might sing while hauling on ropes and performing other sea-going labors. Probably the two most famous sea shanties (at least before TikTok gave us The Wellerman) are What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? and Blow the Man Down. And what should your poem be about? Well, I suppose it could be about anything, although some nautical phrases tossed into the chorus would be good for keeping the sea in your shanty. Haul away, boys, haul away!
Here’s my poem from POV of Sailors:
Poem: Hail the Sea
Off we go to a faraway land
Into the water, from the land of sand
Vast expanse of water, is all we see
Hail the sea! Hail the sea!
The Sun must rise, the Moon must wane
For us to know, we’re still in the game
No sign of life, just water that we see
Hail the sea! Hail the sea!
We dive into the blue, riding the waves
Manoeuvring its curves as it threatens to enslave
Exploring the abyss, admiring caves and coral reef
Hail the sea! Hail the sea!
Harbouring the sailors, the mariners and marine
The mighty ocean is tempestuous yet serene
Treasuring souvenirs of love, revenge, flee
Hail the sea! Hail the sea!
Off we go to a faraway land
To live our days as sea commands
Sea – the only repertoire of our glee
Hail the sea! Hail the sea!
©Vandana Bhasin
10.04.2023
Musical and lovely. Hail the Sea!
Thanks dear Arti! Yes, Hail the sea! 🙂