Storm Song Poem by Adeline Foster

''He lay dying in my arms,
I knew his life was spent.
He who, only yesterday,
Strode boldly as he went
To dive for pearls in oysters
Along the coral reef.
He was my mother's cousin
Yet I felt a brother's grief.

''Now with his body broken,
His life breath all but gone,
He whispered, 'Laurl, never,
Never listen to her song.' ''
''I bent my head to hear the words
Of his labored death-bed tale.
The sound was barely audible
Above the raging gale.''

'' 'You've heard the tales of mermaids
Every sailor longs to see,
Because the voice of wisdom says
Impossible they be.
I longed, as every seaman does,
To see it with my eyes,
That I might snap my fingers at
Those who think that they are wise.

'Was it just delusion -
A phantasm in my mind?
For this could I be dying?
Oh Laurl, please be kind.
I've sailed the three vast oceans;
I've sailed seventy and seven seas;
And never in my life have I
Caught a glimpse of such as she.

'I've seen her vision dancing
In the mist before my eyes.
I've heard her voice entrancing
As the breakers ebb and rise,
And, oh, her beauty gripped me;
I knew that I was lost,
Yet powerless to turn back
No matter what the cost.

'All day, all night, regardless,
Desire drove me on,
Until, at last, she beckoned
Just before the dawn.
The strains of her music thrilled me
Much more than I could bear,
As she lifted from the ocean
Streaming locks of her hair.

'I knew that she was teasing
At a need she knew so well,
And she knew that I was helpless
To turn my head and break the spell.
In raven greed I reached for
The beauty of her form,
As the boat was dashed to pieces
And I sank beneath the foam.

'That's when you found me dying
On the rocks where I was thrown;
I had to live to warn you
Of the danger I have known.' ''
''He drew a breath and shuddered,
And I knew that he was gone,
As he whispered, 'Laurl, never,
Never listen to her song.' ''

''Now, the reefs have been my livelihood
And they will be till I die.
The sea draws me like a magnet,
In this I cannot lie.
I've weathered storms and shipwreck,
But, no matter where I roam,
I hear a voice in the windstorm,
And I know I'm not alone.

''For, when the winds are blowing,
And I know a storm is near,
And the lilting of her music
Seems to drift into my ear,
Above her voice I hear it,
And it helps me to be strong
As it whispers, 'Laurl, never,
Never listen to her song.' ''