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The Sirens and Ulysses, Etty 1837

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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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Vanya Evangeline

Date: 3/28/2025 8:14:00 AM

Wow, this is epic! This poem perfectly captures the haunting vividness of the pic and the grandiose tone of the myth itself.

Di11y Da11y
Date: 3/29/2025 12:29:00 AM

Thank you Vanya, I put a lot of effort into this one has I hadn't read the story of the Sirens and Ulysses prior to deciding to write the poem, so I went to see the painting in person, read the story and then wrote the poem - ahh I'm still exhausted now 2 years later! It got an NA in the contest I entered it into at the time (though it's had some success since). Thanks for your comment

Suzette Richards

Date: 3/25/2023 11:38:00 AM

This is a fit trinute to a masterpiece - savoured every word of it. Well done :))

Di11y Da11y
Date: 3/25/2023 11:43:00 AM

Thanks Suzette, I possibly over reached with this one but I'm enjoying Siren paintings at the moment, so I tried to ignore the fact this one already had a poem that was unmatchable haha

Speaks Volumes

Date: 3/24/2023 9:40:00 PM

This is the one you went to see? Can almost feel that you have seen the painting in person, Super feeling and depth in your description DD. Just wonderful Best wishes Wen

Di11y Da11y
Date: 3/24/2023 10:50:00 PM

Thank you Wen. Yes, I listened to other people talking about the painting too. I wrote loads of notes but found it hard to write what I felt from the painting against the actual story at first. I might write something that isn't bothered about back story at some point

Joanna Daniel

Date: 3/24/2023 1:56:00 AM

Wow! I was there along with Ulysses experiencing his struggle, awesome poetry, DD:) you brought the painting to life:)

Di11y Da11y
Date: 3/24/2023 2:31:00 AM

Thanks Jo, I've been tweaking the wording a bit. I found weaving a real story in and the rhyme awkward but was determined I couldn't take a trip to see the painting and then not write something :)