Published April 4, 2006
(A merrow is an Irish sea fairy. This poem is inspired by the myth of Jack Dogherty and the merrow.)
Swim with the merrow to the deep
Men's souls in cages he does keep
Through the bars you see pleading eyes
And asking with their desperate cries
"Please find a way to set us free,
We ask of you Jack Dogherty!
Within the confines of this cage,
we've grown to quite a weary age."
Stunned and fearful, you swim ashore
But fall before you reach the door
You tell your story without luck
She thinks you're but a lying drunk
And still a plan you try to make
The finest whiskey you will take
To please the merrow's drink demands
and to a restful sleep he'll land
Hurriedly, unlock the last cage
Before the merrow wakes in rage
You have but a few minutes now
And at the shore the men will bow
"A mighty deed is what you've done
Jack Dogherty, we owe you one,"
As the men go back to their homes
You scan the sea where you once roamed
Will there ever be a safe day
for my return, you softly say
Above your head the thunder rolls
You sigh, "It's best I keep my soul."
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Thanks to all of you for the comments!
Thanks Last Mohican--I love your name.
I agree with you, Black Rose, those two don't rhyme well. But this is for English class, so no worries. (I love my signature too--Craig Ferguson is great!)
Soham: In the last stanza, Jack decides not to go back to the waters, because the merrow might take his soul in revenge. To read the myth, click here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/yeats/fip/fip21.htm I'm pretty sure this is the same version as the one in my book that was compiled by William Butler Yeats. Cheers!!
Fine job there!!
Even if I do not know anything about the myth of Jack and the merrow I liked it very much. A charming fairy tale with a happy ending.
The rhyming is perfect so is the rhythm. Your art of telling the story is charming.
You can also consider describing the merrow a bit
But I did not get the final stanza
And I have a request: can you tell me the myth of Jack and the merrow
I love the poem and I love your signature... very nice...
"You tell your story without luck
She thinks you're but a lying drunk"
That didn't reallyseem to rhyme by ear to me... but it was good.
Your poem is great! Ya know, I think one of my friends told me the same story once...