~June 13
There are goddesses whom you cannot approach
in ignorance. The Sirens are like that:
once you hear their song, you will never return
to your life, your home, but instead
will sit in a meadow, surrounded by bones,
listening to them, oblivious of everything
but the clarity and beauty of their song.
-Homer, The Odyssey
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were originally servants of Persephone, queen of the underworld. Beautiful winged beings, they symbolized the sweet call of death. For death, although fearsome most of the time, sometimes can seem like release from the pain of this world. To those in anguish beyond what seems endurable, the Sirens call their lovely song. Come away, they sing, come away. And we follow. It need not be a conscious decision; we need not take up knife or gun. The call of the Sirens leads us as well to neglect ourselves so that we develop illnesses, like the fatal diseases the bereaved often discover in themselves. To listen to the call of death and not to respond, Greek epic poetry tells us, is impossible. Instead, we must stop our ears and sail by.
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