1.1.1 Chapter 8:
A group of fifty people gathered. Everyone of the circus, the artists, the background workers and their families sat at lunch. And then there were the newsies. And still, Siren had to sit right opposite Spot.
1.1.2 I must be damned! She thought, while she ate her meal slowly. After lunch, she helped with the dishes.
Then, finally she found the time to translate the song.
She went in the big top, where some men were working like usual. Sam was there also. She took a seat and let the song run through her mind.
"This is more difficult than I thought!" she sighed. Somehow, she translated the meaning into english. After this, she hummed the melody and formed the text into some matching lyrics. She sat there and began to hum again, then sang the song to hear if it really fit the melody.
I cannot determine the meaning
Of sorrow that fills my breast:
A fable of old, through it streaming,
Allows my mind no rest.
The air is cool in the gloaming
And gently flows the Rhine.
The crest of the mountain is gleaming
In fading rays of sunshine.
1.1.3
The loveliest maiden is sitting
Up there, so wondrously fair;
Her golden jewelry is glist'ning;
She combs her golden hair.
She combs with a gilded comb, preening,
And sings a song, passing time.
It has a most wondrous, appealing
And pow'rful melodic rhyme.
1.1.4
The boatman aboard his small skiff, -
Enraptured with a wild ache,
Has no eye for the jagged cliff, -
His thoughts on the heights fear forsake.
I think that the waves will devour
Both boat and man, by and by,
And that, with her dulcet-voiced power
Was done by the Loreley.
The men stopped working and listened to her. They all knew the song, the song Siren sang often, but only a few knew the meaning of it. For the first time, everyone understand the lyric and they just stood there and listened to the sad story. Sam smiled slightly. He remembered how Siren had gotten her nickname. And he remembered how much Siren resembled her mother and her voice. He was about to walk up to Siren and talk to her. He knew that she was sad whenever she sang the song, as much as she loved it. So everytime he tried to cheer her up. But than he saw Spot walking up to her. He wasn't sure, if he should let him go or not, but finally decided to let him go to her.
She had grown-up. He shook his head. Would Eddy understand that his 'little girl' was an adult now?
No, he surely didn't even think about it now. Not even Siren had thought about the things that were so obvious. Or was it just Sam's life-wisdom?
"Hey." Spot sat down next to Siren and looked down in the ring. He caught Sam's gaze just before the older man looked away.
"The song was good. Who wrote it?"
"Heinrich Heine." Spot looked asking at her.
"Who?" Siren couldn't hide a little smile.
"Heinrich Heine, a German poet."
"Did you get your nickname after this song?" Siren nodded.
"Yeah. We were in Germany when I was twelve. We were at this town at the Rhine. There was this rock. The Lorelei-rock. The legend tells that there was this girl. Well, just like the song says. Well, when we was there, I loved being at this rock. And soon the kids there called me Siren or Lorelei. It stuck."
"And how did you learn this song?"
"I know some german. So I asked a young woman to tell me what this was about with this Lorelei. She told me the saga and showed me the song."
They sat there for some time in totally silence.
"Did you notice? That we didn't fight this time?" Spot looked carefully at her.
"So what? Did you think I would be some monster or something like that?"
"No, just that you may bewitch me or something like that." Spot winked at her and Siren laughed lightly. Maybe she had some prejudices against him.
"Why don't you sing in the show? Your voice is awesome."
"The circus isn't the right place for singing. The people come here to see some action. If they want to hear a singer, they go to theatres or shows like that."
"Didn't you ever think about leaving the circus for such a show?" Siren shook her head.
"NEVER. I couldn't leave all this. My dad. Kama, Tiara, Silver!" She shrugged and nodded towards Sam and three other men down in the ring.
"This is my family. All I have. I'm home and always have freedom. I see the whole world. And I'll see it all again. Can you tell me anything that could be better than that?!"
"What if you were to fall in love? If you had to choose between love and the circus?" Siren looked still at the men in the ring and chuckled.
"What?"
"I'd never thought that I would ever fall in love. I think you don't get this romantic nonsense if you travel from place to place and only know the people that are like family. And then if you're always around people like Scarlet who find a 'cute' or 'sweet' guy in every city you soon learn, that love is just something people make up to cover their loneliness."
"You'd never fell in love? Not even a little crush?" Spot looked unbelieving at Siren.
"No. You know, we have a reputation. The people think that were are just like traveling sluts. And many guys think they can treat us so. That's why I stay at our place most of the time. And that is also why I'm so distant to strangers most of the time!¦"
"Now, I can fully understand why you slapped me." Spot touched his cheek. He was glad none of the others had asked anything. Even if he had seen the grins from his friends.
"Did anything like that happen before?" Spot looked concerned at Siren. She simply nodded.
"I was only eleven. Because of this I became so distant."
"Where was it?"
"Here in New York. It was the first time I was here. I walked through the city with Blossom when these two bums came out of an alley." She stopped talking and just shrugged.
"Nothing much happened, but I didn't trust people easily after that." Spot looked at her and swallowed. Why did he feel these shivers over his skin? Siren looked at him and smiled.
"I have to go. I promised Danny that I would sing the song in English to him as soon as I get it ready. See you." Spot only nodded and stayed alone in the big top with the men in the ring.
A group of fifty people gathered. Everyone of the circus, the artists, the background workers and their families sat at lunch. And then there were the newsies. And still, Siren had to sit right opposite Spot.
1.1.2 I must be damned! She thought, while she ate her meal slowly. After lunch, she helped with the dishes.
Then, finally she found the time to translate the song.
She went in the big top, where some men were working like usual. Sam was there also. She took a seat and let the song run through her mind.
"This is more difficult than I thought!" she sighed. Somehow, she translated the meaning into english. After this, she hummed the melody and formed the text into some matching lyrics. She sat there and began to hum again, then sang the song to hear if it really fit the melody.
I cannot determine the meaning
Of sorrow that fills my breast:
A fable of old, through it streaming,
Allows my mind no rest.
The air is cool in the gloaming
And gently flows the Rhine.
The crest of the mountain is gleaming
In fading rays of sunshine.
1.1.3
The loveliest maiden is sitting
Up there, so wondrously fair;
Her golden jewelry is glist'ning;
She combs her golden hair.
She combs with a gilded comb, preening,
And sings a song, passing time.
It has a most wondrous, appealing
And pow'rful melodic rhyme.
1.1.4
The boatman aboard his small skiff, -
Enraptured with a wild ache,
Has no eye for the jagged cliff, -
His thoughts on the heights fear forsake.
I think that the waves will devour
Both boat and man, by and by,
And that, with her dulcet-voiced power
Was done by the Loreley.
The men stopped working and listened to her. They all knew the song, the song Siren sang often, but only a few knew the meaning of it. For the first time, everyone understand the lyric and they just stood there and listened to the sad story. Sam smiled slightly. He remembered how Siren had gotten her nickname. And he remembered how much Siren resembled her mother and her voice. He was about to walk up to Siren and talk to her. He knew that she was sad whenever she sang the song, as much as she loved it. So everytime he tried to cheer her up. But than he saw Spot walking up to her. He wasn't sure, if he should let him go or not, but finally decided to let him go to her.
She had grown-up. He shook his head. Would Eddy understand that his 'little girl' was an adult now?
No, he surely didn't even think about it now. Not even Siren had thought about the things that were so obvious. Or was it just Sam's life-wisdom?
"Hey." Spot sat down next to Siren and looked down in the ring. He caught Sam's gaze just before the older man looked away.
"The song was good. Who wrote it?"
"Heinrich Heine." Spot looked asking at her.
"Who?" Siren couldn't hide a little smile.
"Heinrich Heine, a German poet."
"Did you get your nickname after this song?" Siren nodded.
"Yeah. We were in Germany when I was twelve. We were at this town at the Rhine. There was this rock. The Lorelei-rock. The legend tells that there was this girl. Well, just like the song says. Well, when we was there, I loved being at this rock. And soon the kids there called me Siren or Lorelei. It stuck."
"And how did you learn this song?"
"I know some german. So I asked a young woman to tell me what this was about with this Lorelei. She told me the saga and showed me the song."
They sat there for some time in totally silence.
"Did you notice? That we didn't fight this time?" Spot looked carefully at her.
"So what? Did you think I would be some monster or something like that?"
"No, just that you may bewitch me or something like that." Spot winked at her and Siren laughed lightly. Maybe she had some prejudices against him.
"Why don't you sing in the show? Your voice is awesome."
"The circus isn't the right place for singing. The people come here to see some action. If they want to hear a singer, they go to theatres or shows like that."
"Didn't you ever think about leaving the circus for such a show?" Siren shook her head.
"NEVER. I couldn't leave all this. My dad. Kama, Tiara, Silver!" She shrugged and nodded towards Sam and three other men down in the ring.
"This is my family. All I have. I'm home and always have freedom. I see the whole world. And I'll see it all again. Can you tell me anything that could be better than that?!"
"What if you were to fall in love? If you had to choose between love and the circus?" Siren looked still at the men in the ring and chuckled.
"What?"
"I'd never thought that I would ever fall in love. I think you don't get this romantic nonsense if you travel from place to place and only know the people that are like family. And then if you're always around people like Scarlet who find a 'cute' or 'sweet' guy in every city you soon learn, that love is just something people make up to cover their loneliness."
"You'd never fell in love? Not even a little crush?" Spot looked unbelieving at Siren.
"No. You know, we have a reputation. The people think that were are just like traveling sluts. And many guys think they can treat us so. That's why I stay at our place most of the time. And that is also why I'm so distant to strangers most of the time!¦"
"Now, I can fully understand why you slapped me." Spot touched his cheek. He was glad none of the others had asked anything. Even if he had seen the grins from his friends.
"Did anything like that happen before?" Spot looked concerned at Siren. She simply nodded.
"I was only eleven. Because of this I became so distant."
"Where was it?"
"Here in New York. It was the first time I was here. I walked through the city with Blossom when these two bums came out of an alley." She stopped talking and just shrugged.
"Nothing much happened, but I didn't trust people easily after that." Spot looked at her and swallowed. Why did he feel these shivers over his skin? Siren looked at him and smiled.
"I have to go. I promised Danny that I would sing the song in English to him as soon as I get it ready. See you." Spot only nodded and stayed alone in the big top with the men in the ring.