Loreley
Introduction
The ‘loreley’ is one of the famous poems written by Heines. The poem focuses on a beautiful maiden on a rock who used to seduce sailors to listen to her singing. The poem has been adopted in music industry and in various communities in form of a folk song. For example, the poem has been used in German as a folksong. Though the poem has been used as a folksong and also in other industries, people have different views about it. Some people argue that the poem focuses on love. Others think that the poem does not concentrate on love. The message conveyed by the poem has become a major problem due to different views. This paper analyzes the poem ‘loreley’. It analyzes the messages conveyed by the author.
Discussion
There are different kinds of messages that are conveyed by the author. People have interpreted the poem differently because of the messages. Some consider the poem as a romantic poem. Others argue that the poem has a negative effect on sailors as it facilitates the death of sailors (Heine, 2006).
The narrator seems stressed at the beginning of the poem. The narrator states that he does not know what haunts him. This has led to depression as he is depressed. The narrator does not know makes him sad all day. The narrator is affected by an old tale. The tale makes his life miserable as it makes him sad and depressed. This is shown by “I do not know what haunts me,
What saddened my mind all day;
An age-old tale confounds me,
”
First, the author has used the poem to convey a message of love. Most people consider the poem to be one of the romantic poems written by Heines. The poem revolves around romance as evidenced by the narrator.In the third stanza the narrator claim that a lovely maiden sits. This shows how lovely the maiden is. In addition, the narrator describes the maiden to show how lovely she is. For example, the maiden has shining jewels. Also, the maiden has a golden hair. The author has used the poem to show the love between the narrator and the maiden. The love between the narrator and the maiden is shown by the vivid description given by the author through the narrator. The author has used figurative language to describe the maiden and convey the message. For example, he states that the maiden hair falls through the comb like a shower (Heine, 2006).
Additionally, the author states that the maiden is lovely and this is evidenced by her lovely voice. Most of the people including sailors are attracted by the lovely voice of the maiden and her beauty. This is shown by narrators comments below “There sits a lovely maiden
Above, so wondrous fair,
With shining jewels laden,
She combs her golden hair”
The sailors are taken by the turbulent love of the maiden. This makes it hard for the sailors to see the cliff and hence it as they look at the mountain above them. The narrator also concludes the poem by stating that the maiden is lovely.
On the other hand, the poem shows the impact of the maidens love on other people. Though the narrator and other people admire the maiden, the maiden has affected various people in the society negatively. The maiden causes the death of other people. For instance, the maiden causes the death of the sailors. The sailors are interested by the maiden’s lovely voice and this forces them to listen at her. The sailors are not able to detect any danger and protect themselves. The sailors are not able to identify where the cliff is as they try to look at the mountain above them. Also, the sailors are fling by the waves in the river and then hit the reefs in the sea. This is evidenced by the following quotation “I think the waves must fling him
Against the reefs nearby,
”
The maiden singing is the main cause of the sailor’s death. This is because the sailors are attracted by the singing and fail to take the necessary precautions. The sailors sink with their boats near the rock where the maiden is sitting. The sailors could have avoided the effect of the reef by taking the necessary steps (Heine, 2006).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the author has used the poem to convey different themes. For example, the author has used the poem to show the theme of love and its effects. The theme of love is evidenced by the relationship between the narrator and the maiden. In addition, the narrator shows the effect of the maiden on sailors.
Reference
Heine,H.(2006).Loreley. Kindermann Verlag
Is this your assignment or some part of it?
We can do it for you! Click to Order!
