Captain Lean

Captain Lean written by Walter de la Mare

Songs of Childhood (1902)

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    Out of the East a hurricane
      Swept down on Captain Lean--
    That mariner and gentleman
      Will ne'er again be seen.

    He sailed his ship against the foes
      Of his own country dear,
    But now in the trough of the billows
      An aimless course doth steer.

    Powder was violets to his nostril,
      Sweet the din of the fighting-line,
    Now he is flotsam on the seas,
      And his bones are bleached with brine.

    The stars move up along the sky,
      The moon she shines so bright,
    And in that solitude the foam
      Sparkles unearthly white.

    This is the tomb of Captain Lean,
      Would a straiter please his soul?
    I trow he sleeps in peace,
      Howsoever the billows roll!

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