The Third Fall of Lorelei

Perched on a stony gray shore I await The next wayward sailors; I decree their fate From the lofty Rhine cliffs did I long ago fall Now passersby answer my beckoning call Though hardy they be, my song is yet stronger My melodies sweet, my endurance longer Through deepest of waters they rarely shall pass Once caught in my spell their soul is held fast For, betrayed by my only true love, I avenge By stealing dear lads from their lovers and friends The vessel I see on high wind does approach Threatening the reef 'neath my feet to encroach The better for me to draw near weary men Who once resting their heads will not venture again But, lo, what is this that I see at the helm? A man whose possession would rule any realm The fire that alights me has so permeated The fury is gone that I once would have meted Instead, I desire the strength of his arms The taste of his lips and the wealth of his charms It is puzzling, 'tis true, my unlikely behavior Still, somehow I know that this man is my savior As I depart from the shoreline and swim for the bow I am drawn by the call of his siren song now Copyright, Donna Golden, 1999. Revised, January, 2009. This poem was inspired by "Die Lorelei", by Heinrich Heine, which was, itself, based on the German legend of a siren that lured sailors to their doom on the banks of the Rhine river.