The Wreck of the Hesperus («Крушение „Гесперуса“»)

Traditional American folk ballad, dark maritime folk, deep male baritone, expressive storytelling vocals, acoustic fingerpicked guitar, mournful fiddle, subtle harmonica, slow 6/8 rhythm, around 78 BPM, haunting memorable melody, cold Atlantic coastal atmosphere, gradual build from quiet narrative to dramatic storm climax, raw organic instruments, restrained tragic ending, vintage folk sound, clear English pronunciation, 3 to 4 minutes, preserve lyrics exactly, no repeated verses, no modern pop production, no electronic drums, no orchestral soundtrack. [Verse 1] It was the schooner Hesperus, That sailed the wintry sea; And the skipper had taken his little daughter, To bear him company. Blue were her eyes as the fairy-flax, Her cheeks like the dawn of day, And her bosom white as the hawthorn buds That ope in the month of May. [Verse 2] Then up and spake an old sailor, Had sailed to the Spanish Main, "I pray thee, put into yonder port, For I fear a hurricane." Colder and louder blew the wind, A gale from the north-east; The snow fell hissing in the brine, And the billows frothed like yeast. [Verse 3] Down came the storm, and smote amain The vessel in its strength; She shuddered and paused, like a frighted steed, Then leaped her cable's length. He wrapped her warm in his seaman's coat, Against the stinging blast; He cut a rope from a broken spar, And bound her to the mast. [Verse 4] "O father! I hear the sound of guns; O say, what may it be?" "Some ship in distress, that cannot live In such an angry sea!" "O father! I see a gleaming light; O say, what may it be?" But the father answered never a word, A frozen corpse was he. [Verse 5] And fast through the midnight dark and drear, Through the whistling sleet and snow, Like a sheeted ghost the vessel swept Towards the reef of Norman's Woe. At daybreak, on the bleak sea-beach, A fisherman stood aghast, To see the form of a maiden fair, Lashed close to a drifting mast. [Outro] Such was the wreck of the Hesperus, In the midnight and the snow! Christ save us all from a death like this, On the reef of Norman's Woe!