The Siren

I am sure you often heard of her
In stories that were told

Of bird deprived of womanhood
Too treacherous and cold 
But not of maiden young and sweet 
With tender heart of gold 

She's always been misunderstood 
For being proud and bold
But now that she is older
Her story shall be told:

She stopped to sing awhile ago 
And waited long in silence
For one brave man to sail to her
And dare approach her island

But no such sailor came along
She lives alone at sea
She used to wait, she used to pray
And then she let it be

The time has come, I choose to sing 
I'll sing and you will see
The Siren's myth all known to you
Will be revised by me

From high above the sea she sang 
Of wisdom and of truth
But men who came ashore remained
To taste forbidden youth

They were enchanted, I agree
I don't deny her charms
But you should know she never held
A sailor in her arms

She did not slay or kill a soul
She  always sang alone
Men loved her face and liked her song
But never sang along

Ignoring meaning of her words
They listened at her feet
They did not learn until too late
That they could not compete

With her own dream of one 
Who'd know and understand her song
Who'd sing along and dance with her
To whom she would belong

He never came, her one true love
And others did not dare
To measure up to her sweet dream
Of one beyond compare

Odysseus never even tried
He sailed away instead
To mast of ship so roughly tied
She did not want him dead

If he had given her a chance
And rested at her shore
He would have spared her loneliness
And gained keys to her door

She would have kept her word to him
And taught him all she knew
Then he'd be free to go his way
To sail the world anew 

As far as other sailors go
I must admit to you
She  never loved any of them
And made sure that they knew

Completely on their own accord
Men chose to take their life 
She cared little, truth be told
And tossed each corpse aside

Eventually a pile formed
Attracting hungry birds
To feast on sailors corpses' bones 
They came ashore in flocks

They spread the news around the world
Of sailors and the song
And that, my friends, precisely is
How Siren's myth was born

Lost in Translation - film review

Lost in Translation was directed and written by Sofia Coppola, a woman with a keen eye for artistic detail.  The film is deliberately slow development and provokes a strong delayed reaction, causing one to recall every detail of the film months later.  Watching it feels like going through an exclusive art collection at a well hidden museum.  It is a rare pleasure and something to be savored.


The beginning of the film resembles a reality show set in Japan, and unfolds with a leisurely pace around Bob (Bill Murray).  Bob is a moss eaten celebrity, almost forgotten in America, but  still popular in Japan, where he manages to make 2 million dollars by posing for ads.




Bob is not handsome but gallantly aged, like the liquor he is advertising.  Cynical and grumpy, Bob looks exhausted, yet holds enough charisma to drive a 25 year old girl into a frenzy.  I doubt any other actor could play this character quite as well as Murray, who shines in this film. 

Coppola perfectly portrayed the arrival of Murray into Japan.  He is tired and sleepy, yet amazed to see the colorful world around him.  In the next few days the exciting world of Tokyo seizes to amaze his exhausted brain receptors.  Anyone who has taken a flight to a foreign country will relate to having a jetlag and feeling restless.  Lack of sleep is particularly annoying when one does not understand what is going on due to the language barrier.  




Charlotte (Johansson) is another insomniac.  She cannot sleep not because she is restless in a foreign country but because she is lost in a relationship with her husband.  She has been married for two years and finally realizes that she has nothing in common with her husband.  

Things  get somewhat confusing when Bob and Charlotte meet.  They would have never clicked under the ordinary circumstances, but in Japan, they are united by boredom in finding everything strange: people, surroundings, customs, language, etc.  Strange things are bound to happen when one is sleep deprived, depressed and lonely in a foreign land.  In such situations, people do find companionship in unlikely places. 




Bob and Charlotte quickly become friends and engage in conversations ordinary people would not partake. Coppola follows them closely, with slow precision camera work behind every touch, sound, and look.  Every notion is carefully reflected on the screen, following a natural progression of friendship into a romance, which inevitably ends with Charlotte's departure.

The ending  leaves us with a small enigma.

What did Bob say to Charlotte? 

This is open to individual interpretation. 

Most people will be able to find a little bit of themselves in this film.  Or at least imagine themselves in a similar situation.  Those who don't relate can simply enjoy the beautiful imagery.