The Hungry Sea

A poem by William Arthur Dunkerley

Down to the sea, the hungry sea,
O the sea is hungry ever!
Seeking food for the bairns and me,
Seeking food in the hungry sea;
O the sea is hungry ever!

My man and my lad--their bones are white,
O the sea is hungry ever!
Into the maw of the grim black night,
Their hearts were bold and their faces bright;
O the sea is hungry ever!


The sun was red and the clouds were black,
O the sea is hungry ever!
And the sky was heavy with flying wrack,
When forth they fared,--and they came not back;
O the sea is hungry ever!


Forth they fared and they came not back,
O the sea is hungry ever!
O, I fear the sea, and I hate the sea,
That took my man and my lad from me;
O the sea is hungry ever!