Siren Song

“The Circle Game” by Margaret Atwood (1964)

“The Circle Game” is a poem in seven parts that echoes some of the themes of entrapment and repetition “Siren Song” addresses. The poem is long and lean, and takes a much more somber tone than “Siren Song.” It serves as an interesting emotional contrast to the humor and cunning of “Siren Song.”

“Song of the Worms” by Margaret Atwood (1974)

“Song of the Worms” is another poem from “Songs of the Transformed” in the collection, You Are Happy. The worm is an earthly image next to the mythological siren, and speaks in a plaintive voice denoting an opposite experience: “[W]e have sung but no one has listened” (Line 6).

“When All Hands Were Called to Make Sail” by Rachel Zucker (2009)

The poet Rachel Zucker reimagined Persephone in her collection, Eating in the Underworld (2003), and frequently considers myth in her work. While “When All Hands Were Called to Make Sail” does not overtly reimagine myth, the poet recalls it with references such as “the hero abandoned the ferry for the real sea” (Line 6) and a six-armed figure with “breasts covered in blue scales” (Line 12).