Best Lorelei Poems
Die Lorelei by Heinrich Heine (1797-1856)- Translated by T. Wignesan
For Regina von Degenfeld at Waibstadt
-in respect and unending sufferance-
(Heine, a German Jewish lyrical and satiric poet, journalist and critic,
settled in Paris from 1831 where he married Eugénie Mirat, an unsophisticated shop-assistant which earned him ostracism and dispossession from his family and fellows, but he made her his only heir on the condition that she re-married so that at least one person would regret his passing. In 1858, he was hobbled for life by spinal paralysis.)
Ich weiss nicht , was soll es bedeuten,
Nonplussed am I, what could it signify
Dass ich so traurig bin;
Plunged as I am in such a dejected mood
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
A fairy tale from times gone by,
Dass kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
In thraldom wrapped forever to brood
Die Luft ist kühl und es dunkelt,
Soft the cool wind buffets as the day beds down
Und ruhig fliesst der Rhein;
And ripple free courses the Rhein
Der Gïpfel des Berges funkelt
Mountain summit lights scintillate crown
Im Abendsonnenschein.
Divine in sunset shine
Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Exquisite maiden perched is she
Dort oben wunderbar,
On high there resplendent
Ihr goldnes Geschmeide blitzet,
Her golden accoutrements sparkle free
Sie kämmt ihr goldnes Haar.
As golden tresses combs she concupiscente
Sie kämmt es mit goldnem Kamme,
Flaxen tresses combs she with a golden comb
Und singt ein Lied dabei;
While luring strains her lips release in lyrical glee
Das hat eine wundersame,
Tinged in a soothing tuneful hum
Gewaltige Melodie.
Mighty stirring melody
Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe
The rower in his narrow boat
Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
Seized is he with bewildering pain
Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
Oblivious is he of the Rock’s craggy grotte
Erschaut nur hinauf in die Höh’.
His eyes remain fixed high above the narrow main
Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen
I believe the waves did submerge
Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn;
In the end both boatman and rowing boat
Und das hat mit ihrem Singen
And the deed did with her singing merge
Die Lorelei getan.
That Lorelei had wrought.
© T. Wignesan – Paris, January 23, 2021
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.
See how the lowly myrtle
seduces the lordly pine.
She entwines her arms
around him, he
submits. Beneath them
falls their issue: not
flesh, nor sinew, nor bone,
Only, sweet symmetrical
cone, its perfect whorls
and burls, the best
of both worlds.
The night has befallen me
Rescue me, unchain me
Sacred Lorelei
Bleeding a passion of royalty
Forever I'll follow your Argentine cloak
with the most deadly pacts
beautiful Witch
Sacred Lorelei
Tell me did the ravens Hear my cry
My misery's plea
Sacred Lorelei
Was this all just upon a dream
Lucidity becoming reality
of my Sacred Lorelei
A fiat of darkly desire
from a most beautiful witch
unchaining the burden of my misery
All for my
Sacred Lorelei
I’ve waited months for the day of your birth to arrive.
The time for you to enter this world is long overdue.
Your mother and I have been married for year number five.
It’s just before Christmas and all I want now is you.
When you didn’t come on time, I got a little scared.
That’s when I realized that I was ready to be a father.
Whenever you’re ready, I promise that I’ll be there
With open arms to care for both you and your mother.
You’ve shown me what it means to love someone so pure,
A life of innocence, with only love to give.
You will always be in my heart, of that you can be sure.
You will be my angel on Earth for as long as I live.
she was a sassy little mermaid
with only one ardent wish
to wreak havoc on mankind
for introducing chips to fish
she’d sit upon that lorelei rock
and keep her constant check
and in the cold weather wore
a cardi zipped up to her neck
but when she spotted a ship
she’d strip down to her vest
which was artfully cut so it
showed off her splendid chest
she’d sing her siren song
and lure them to their doom
there’s many a lovelorn sailor
in a cold and watery tomb
one cold september morning
she was singing for her catch
and she lured a certain vessel
and there she met her match
she tried for an old hull trawler
not sure where he should be
the skipper had gone and turned
wrong way from the north sea
and he wouldn’t tell his crew
no matter what the cost
that they’d be late home
because he’d got a bit lost
then he heard our little mermaid
and her wailing was the last straw
a carefully aimed beer bottle ensured
she bother ed them no more
and while she was thus concussed
he got his sextant out
and realising his mistake
went and turned the ship about
he arrived home a day or so late
but he went and told the crew
they’d been on a secret mission
and they believed him like you do
he never thought any more
about his little slip
nor did he remember the little maid
he’d nearly brained on that eventful trip
the effect on her was terrible
she turned reclusive and very shy
those waters now are quiet and safe
near that once dread lorelei
as for those hull trawlers
they go to sea no more
cos mrs thatcher sold them out
when we lost that last cod war
I've saved all your pictures, and kept all your cards.
Though dreams may have shattered, I've treasured the shards.
C'est la vie, they make a bittersweet show and tell.
Like a night at the museum when ghosts of the past come alive.
Gotta go, bye.
There's no point in asking where the heart of it lies.
With your enchanting smile and your bewitching eyes
Tempting me, it's plain to see I'm under your spell.
When you take me to the river, you come on like a true Lorelei.
Gotta go, bye.
Now with winter ending and spring in the air,
The daylight I'm saving is something to share
In a song and shine it on my mademoiselle,
But you leave for the summer, and I walk away a frustrated guy.
Gotta go, bye.