Poem: "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" (1798) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Band: "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner" (1984) by Iron Maiden on Powerslave
(Underlined sections are direct quotes)
Hear the rime of the ancient mariner
See his eye as he stops one of three
Mesmerizes one of the wedding guests
Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea
And the music plays on, as the bride passes by
Caught by his spell and the mariner tells his tale
Driven south to the land of the snow and ice
To a place where nobody's been
Through the snow fog flies on the albatross
Hailed in God's name, hoping good luck it brings
And the ship sails on, back to the north
Through the fog and ice and the albatross follows on
The mariner kills the bird of good omen
His shipmates cry against what he's done
But when the fog clears, they justify him
And make themselves a part of the crime
Sailing on and on and north across the sea
Sailing on and on and north 'til all is calm
The albatross begins with its vengeance
A terrible curse a thirst has begun
His shipmates blame bad luck on the mariner
About his neck, the dead bird is hung
And the curse goes on and on at sea
And the curse goes on and on for them and me
"Day after day, day after day
We stuck nor breath nor motion
As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
Water, water everywhere and
All the boards did shrink
Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink."
There calls the mariner
There comes a ship over the line
But how can she sail with no wind in her sails and no tide?
See... onward she comes
Onward she nears out of the sun
See, she has no crew
She has no life, wait but here's two
Death and she life in death
They throw their dice for the crew
She wins the mariner and he belongs to her now
Then, crew one by one
They drop down dead, 200
She, she, life in death
She lets him live, her chosen one
"One after one by the star dogged moon
Too quick for groan or sigh
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang
And cursed me with his eye
Four times fifty living men
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump
They dropped down one by one."
The curse it lives on in their eyes
The mariner he wished he'd die
Along with the sea creatures
But they lived on, so did he
And by the light of the moon
He prays for their beauty not doom
With heart he blesses them
God's creatures all of them too
Then the spell starts to break
The albatross falls from his neck
Sinks down like lead into the sea
Then down in falls comes the rain
Hear the groans of the long dead seamen
See them stir and they start to rise
Bodies lifted by good spirits
None of them speak and they're lifeless in their eyes
And revenge is still sought, penance starts again
Cast into a trance and the nightmare carries on
Now the curse is finally lifted
And the mariner sights his home
Spirits go from the long dead bodies
Form their own light and the mariner's left alone
And then a boat came sailing towards him
It was a joy he could not believe
The pilot's boat, his son and the hermit
Penance of life will fall onto him
And the ship it sinks like lead into the sea
And the hermit shrives the mariner of his sins
The mariner's bound to tell of his story
To tell this tale wherever he goes
To teach God's word by his own example
That we must love all things that God made
And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser man And the tale goes on and on and on
Poem: "The Iliad" (circa 750 BC) by Homer
Band: "Achilles, Agony And Ecstasy In Eight Parts" (1992) by Manowar on The Triumph Of Steel
See my chariot, run to your ships
I'll drive you back to the sea
You came here for gold, the wall will not hold
This day was promised to me
The Gods are my shield, my fate has been sealed
Lightning and javelins fly
Soon many will fall, we are storming the wall
Stones fall like snow from the sky
We will pay with our glory in the fire of battle
Zeus, today is mine
Killing all in my way like sheep and like cattle
Smashing skulls of all who defy
I spare not the hammer, I spare not the sword
This day will ring with my name
None have to chase me, let he who will face me
Kill me or die by the sword
Oh friend of mine, how to say goodbye?
This was your time, but the armor you wore was mine
I will not rest until Hector's blood is spilled
His bones will all be broken, dragged across the field
This, dear friend, is how we'll say goodbye
Until we meet in the sky
Here inside the walls of Troy, the Gods weigh my fate
From this day do I abstain, to a memory of hate
To pay for all the blood that spilled
Many thousands I did kill
No walls can contain the Gods' almighty will
I hear the silent voices, I cannot hide
The Gods leave no choices, so we all must die
Oh Achilles, let thy arrows fly, into the wind
Where eagles cross the sky
Today my mortal blood will mix with sand
It was foretold I will die by thy hand
Into Hades my soul descend
Cowards in the grip of fear, no valor to uphold
Cut into the earth, with honor long been sold
For all shall come to know me
As they fall unto their knees
Zeus the Thunderer, control my destiny
When the cards of life were dealt
My hand a ruthless fate
To avenge and bringeth fury
Hector, feel my hate
A bloodbath I was born to bring, by birth I'm an assassin
To cut the cord of life and death
Ties to earth unfasten
Blood and fire, death and hate
Your body I will desecrate
Dogs and vultures eat your flesh
The Hall of Hades waits
Kill...
Hector's blood lies on the battlefield
His body's mangled wounds
The Gods who once protected him are now his Gods of doom
Like a tower standing tall, steadfast in direction
I fall upon you bringing death, the Gods give no protection
Cowards in the grip of fear, no valor to uphold
Cut into the earth, with honor long been sold
For all shall come to know me
As they fall unto their knees
Zeus the Thunderer, control my destiny
Blood and fire death and hate
Your body I will desecrate
Dogs and vultures eat your flesh
The Hall of Hades waits
Die...
The oath of the Gods, this day was fulfilled
In the heat of the battle, Hector was killed
See him Patroclus, down in the dust
Rejoice in his death my symbol of trust
A dozen highborn youths have been killed
Cutting their throats, their blood was all spilled
Their bodies set at the foot of your fire
With oxen, sheep and two of your hounds
Your funeral pyre high off the ground
Hector's body dragged three times around
I will carry the torch to your funeral pyre
I will ask of the wind to send high your fire
Hector's blood will not be washed from my body
Until your body is burned
A prophecy spoken, a promise fulfilled
More blood will be spilled, more will be killed
Poem: "The Divine Comedy: Inferno" (1308) by Dante Alighieri
Band: "Dante’s Inferno" (1995) by Iced Earth on Burnt Offerings
Through the fiery caverns we sail Virgil at my side, my guide and master Questing through the nine planes of Hell Infernal wisdom shall fill my soul Slowly now the days departing The darkened air releases me Frightening visions of my journey Entrance me to Limbo, I'm not free Abandon all hope who enter here Enter the gates, Charon awaits Abandon all hope who enter here For this is where all things are left behind Every doubt and every cowardice must die Souls of rage and anger whipping in despair The souls that wail on this plane pray for death Denial is the reason for their suffering Forever being stung by wasps and Demon's breath The blood and tears that fall serve the maggots' needs Descension Thrusting to the second plane Minos judges as his tail twines Lustful thoughts and greed whip these wretched souls A hurricane of hate mocks their helpless pleas
Drifting now deeper into eternal flames
Awake at the third circle
The cold and filthy rain
Punished for their gluttony
Languid for all time
The earth, it stinks of corpses
Damned for all time
The vicious beast Cerberus
Three heads, blooded eyes
Tears his talons through the air
All sinners cry now
All sinners cry
Down, be still thy cursed wolf
The master scorns its name
Dive to the next plane
The sullen and the vain
Suffer for their greed
The prodigal, they bleed
For all eternity
Plutus holds the key
(Chanting, sounds like:)
Zahnah, zantus shan mey
Zeenah hotoh, Satanae
Zahnah, zantus shan mey
Zeenah hotoh, Satanae
Damned, the wrathful and the vain
Suffer the fifth plane
Cross the river Styx
Heed your crucifix
The muddied corpses cry
Howling to the sky
Reach the other side
Open wide the gates
(Chanting, sounds like:)
Zahnah, zantus shan mey
Zeenah hotoh, Satanae
Zahnah, zantus shan mey
Zeenah hotoh, Satanae
Enter the sixth circle of barren land and flames
Passing through the gate of Dis
The Furies scream her name
Belching forth in agony
Invoking her to rise
The spirit's rage consuming us
The evil in her cries
Queen of vipers, queen of serpents
Cast their souls to stone
Spread the wealth of Gorgon's power
Medusa's inner soul
We're drawing ever closer
To the seventh Hell
They violate their neighbors
Their God and themselves
We're sailing slowly
Through the boiling river of blood
Immersed in the depths below
Souls scream in agony
The twisted beast, he laughs
He draws his arrow back
His sights on anyone
Exposing of their flesh
He impales their hearts with ease
And shrugs their piercing screams
Pity is, they'll never die
They'll suffer here eternally
(Chanting, sounds like:)
Zine come sate dive
Zine come sate dive
Zine come sate dive
Zine come sate dive
Lucifer, Natas, Mephisto
Natas, Baphomet, Natas, Asputis
Imagine a place
Where every horror comes to life
Where every torture is real
And time stands still
Eight fiery steps and we're closer to the end
In a cold and timeless grave
Buried head first in shit
Praying all the while
For a quick and painless death
Scratching furiously
At scabbed and oozing wounds
Lucifer, Angel of light
Cast below, God of ice
Ruling Hell, unholy trinity
The traitors freeze for all eternity
Lucifer, betrayer of God
Tormentor, ruthless and cold
Judas screaming here in agony
The traitors freeze for all eternity