I READ how once Ulysses, far from home,
Daunting all dangers o'er the wine-dark sea,
Came to the island where the Sirens be
Who waft sweet song athwart the ocean's foam.
And there, beneath the blue sky's ample dome,
For fear those luring strains they might not flee,
His comrades bound him to the mast, that he
Escape the enchantment fierce, nor isleward roam.

And as I read, I wish the story ran,
That in the hero's breast love beat so strong
No Siren's voice, no sound of soothing song,
Could tempt him, on his ship, to change his plan,
And slack the oar that should, by sun or star,
Dip toward Penelope and Ithaca.