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Inspired by The Sirens and Ulysses, oil painting by William Etty.

The painting depicts a scene from Homer's epic "The Odyssey," where the hero Ulysses (aka Odysseus) orders his crew to tie him to the mast of his ship so that he can hear the seductive songs of the Sirens. The crew are ordered to have their ears stuffed with wax so they are not enticed. Ulysses, showing muscular form, is held back and struggles to reach the beautiful Sirens, playing ethereal music surrounded by piles of dead men and bones.

Strength and strategy and need to sail
I will succeed where others failed
Crew close your ears, avert your gaze
Tie me to the mast, for only I shall appraise

Appraise what men have died to hear
I'm brave enough to traverse this near
The siren song, captivates, I need to know
Why sailors are caught in it's undertow 

Upon the land I see gnarled bodies piled
Whilst their wiles still leave me beguiled
Wind and wave weave us nearer shore
In league with sirens, their allegiance swore 

What is longed for more with each note played
Does beauty entice or is it comfort craved
Am I worn down by each long crusade
Willingly give self to this alluring masquerade

For chance of soft touch on my battle worn skin
To look upon thy beauty, forget my sins
Ease away the tortures of my mind until
I am able to stop and just be still

What do the sirens really offer me
It's surely death, this is all I can see
But the end of war is end of curse
To end the song with a final verse

To be subsumed somehow, lost to fate
I wish to perish across heavens gate
An end is all I care for now
Unblock your ears, give in, allow!

Hear the music, I beg, to set us free
Forget my orders, hear my plea
Just let me go, it's my will, I must
For all that is good, and true and just!

Don't take from me this chance to live
Where all they want, I have to give
The music fades, and my senses return
I kept my head, am satisfied my titles earned

Were they real, enchanting yet pure
Though welcomed me to die on rocky shore
Beseeched my love with ethereal notes
To be dashed against rocks with other boats

My life I promised there, gave unasked
But for those ropes tying me to the mast
Not until out of sight did senses clear
Did I stop fighting, the longing disappear 

Now memory of fair sights and sounds
Merge with dead and ships ran aground 
I'm far away, I'm free, I knew the price
I've won this roll of the dice

But the melody plays inside my mind
A longing still to be lost to time
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