Song
The mermaids are enthralled by ‘the song of a lyre’: “Then a different song came- louder and more insinuating. The song of a lyre played by a master. My heart swirled on a melody that could raise the dead from Hades’ underworld. Rocks from our islands’ highest peaks rolled into the sea to be closer to that lyre. The lilies, the only plants that grow on Anthemoessa, strained on their stalks toward the music. We sang, desperation making our songs keen, but our voices were drowned by that magnificent and terrible lyre.” The song is absolutely fascinating for it to occasions receptiveness from the inorganic rocks and plants. Alluding to the song’s capacity to resuscitate the dead accentuates its emotional appeal and dynamism.
Ship
Sirena elaborates, “I smell the ship before I see it. These men are on a long voyage. They have packed crates of food, amphoras of wine. The wood of the ships is piney. The sweat of men is sour. I smell their shoes, their dirty hair, smells I recognize from the long day I spent with land creatures ago, at Thetis’ wedding. Heady smells.” The ship is an embodiment of humanity based on the portrayals of the occupants and their cargo. Sirena’s sense of smell is mystical because it permits her to sense a ship which she is yet to perceive.
The Ship Wreckage
Sirena recounts, “Crack! The first ship rips apart on the ridge. The men of the second ship shout to one another. They push on the oars and try to change the course of the ship, but it is lost. Crack! The second ship rips asunder. The men of the third ship scream frantically. They join forces, three mean to an oar on the right side of the ship and, wonder of wonders, they manage to turn the ship. They hoist the sail and the wind carries them away. The men in the water call to them. Their calls sound like gull cries. We are sad to see the third ship sail way, but we rejoice at the wreckage of the first two. We laugh and wait shyly.” The three crashes are undoubtedly life-threatening because some of the sailors demise. However, for Sirena and the other mermaids, the crashes are openings for them to be in close proximity to men whom they expect to adore them.
