There is a charming monument to Heinrich Heine in a lovely, small park in the South Bronx, just up the hill that overlooks Yankee Stadium. It commemorates the poet who was so controversial when this monument was completed, the city of Dusseldorf rejected it and sent it on to New York, where the controversy has long since been forgotten.
I would guess that something like 99% of the New Yorkers who pass by her could not identify the poet or the topic of this piece, but today, in the grey grip of the storm, this singing maiden sits, calmly combing her hair. She is the famous Lorelei, luring sailors to their death in the stormy sea.
Heine's poem, Die Lorelei:
Of sorrow that fills my breast:
A fable of old, through it streaming,
Allows my mind no rest.
The air is cool in the gloaming
And gently flows the Rhine.
The crest of the mountain is gleaming
In fading rays of sunshine.
The loveliest maiden is sitting
Up there, so wondrously fair;
Her golden jewelry is glist'ning;
She combs her golden hair.
She combs with a gilded comb, preening,
And sings a song, passing time.
It has a most wondrous, appealing
And pow'rful melodic rhyme.
The boatman aboard his small skiff,
Enraptured with a wild ache,
Has no eye for the jagged cliff,
His thoughts on the heights fear forsake.
I think that the waves will devour
Both boat and man, by and by,
And that, with her dulcet-voiced power
Was done by the Loreley.
The poem inspired several musical settings, including one by Friedrich Silcher (1789-1860),
But be careful, she might lure you to the rocks!
Photos by me, October 29, 2012
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Comments
Thanks for this. A nice diversion from the storm. Stay safe.
Gerald - I took these this morning. My other shots have a clear blue sky behind her. This suits the theme better, I think. And doesn't her hair look lovely? Thanks for stopping by today!
I stood before the statue of Heine in Hamburg last Thursday afternoon--such a romantic.
Love the poem. But then, Heine's work is lush, full of feeling, and suits the mood of stormy weather.
Do as jlsathre says, tho', my dear, and do stay indoors today.
R
The songs were a hit with Puff.
jlsathre - Yes'm. I'm in for the night.
Pea Dubb - I'm in, I'm in! I am so glad you came by though. I think this is pretty lovely stuff.
jp - I'm happy I could provide li'l Puffins - and you! - with a break in the day! Apparently, the Silcher is a popular kind of folk song.