Mentions of Classic Lit on Songs by Metal Bands Iron Maiden, Manowar, and Iced Earth

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