The Lorelei

The Lorelei Statue on the Rhine River

St. Goar, Germany

The Lorelei

A German Folk Song

I know not what it meaneth

That I so sad should be,

A legend quaint and plaintive

Is ever haunting me.

The air is cool, the day waneth,

And calmly flows the Rhine;

The tops of the mountain gleameth,

For still the sun doth shine.

A fair and lovely maiden,

Doth sit up on the height;

A-combing her golden tresses,

Her jewels dazzle the sight.

Her golden comb too, glistens

And as she combs her hair,

She sings a song so wondrous,

Its rich tones fill the air.

A boat-man whose skiff is so tiny

the water deep doth lave,

Entranced by song and singer,

Heeds not the rock nor the wave.

I fear me the craft and boat-man

Engulfed by billows high,

Because of the Lorelei's singing

Beneath the waves may lie.

Heinrich Heine

The Lorelei

A painting by German artist

Wilhelm Kray

(1828-1889)