The Loreley

The fabled Lorelei rock. This is where the river is at it's narrowest and deepest. It was very difficult to pass, and many ships crashed here. The legend is that a beautiful maiden sat atop the rock, brushing her hair and singing, inadvertently luring sailors towards the rock to their demise.

"I do not know what haunts me,
What saddened my mind all day;
An age-old
tale confounds me,
A spell I cannot allay.
The air is cool and in
twilight
The Rhine's dark waters flow;
The peak of the mountain in
highlight
Reflects the evening glow.
There sits a lovely maiden
Above so wondrous fair,
With shining jewels laden,
She combs her
golden hair
It falls through her comb in a shower,
And over the valley
rings
A song of mysterious power
That lovely maiden sings.
The
boatman in his small skiff is
Seized by a turbulent love,
No longer he
marks where the cliff is,
He looks to the mountain above.
I think the
waves must fling him
Against the reefs nearby,
And that did with her
singing
The lovely Loreley"