La Ballade de DL-8-153
Dedicated to Pierre Béland who taught me the history of the beluga whale and made me aware of their perilous situation. The title refers to the practice of cataloguing the whales, the “DL” referring to their genus and species, Delphinapteurus Leucas. http://www.whales-online.net

In the lower Saint Laurence,
            Just below the surface,
Swim my brothers,
            From the beginning of time.

They were there,
            When the glaciers melted,
They are still there,
            But they are only a few.

We can hear their song,
            The songbirds of the sea,
We can hear their cries,
            And yet we do nothing.

What will we do?
What will we eat?
The ocean is becoming a cemetary
For the dying whales.

Off Trois-Rivières,
            Laying in the reeds,
A beautiful beluga,
            DL 8-153.

Filled with PCBs,
Filled with DDT.
Filled with cancer
Because of the humans nearby.

What will we do?
What will we eat?
The ocean is becoming a cemetary
For the dying whales.

Zachary Richard, Les Editions du Marais Bouleur