A siren is one of several imaginary sea nymphs whose seductive singing was believed to lure sailors to death. Edward Morgan Forster （1879-1970）, whose renowned works are novels like A Passage to India and Howards End, published collections of short stories. The Story of the Siren is one of those early fantasy stories.
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa （1896–1957）, the author of Il Gattopardo （The Leopard） also wrote the same type of story, “The Professor and the Siren”, in which the siren announces herself Lighea, daughter of Calliope. As he wrote in his introduction to The Professor and the Siren, E. M. Forster’s “The Story of the Siren” and Lampedusa’s story have some things in common. Though the sirens of both stories are located in Sicily, E. M. Forster’s siren is cosmic and never sings throughout the story. In contrast, Lampedusa’s Lighea is personal and sings enchantingly.
The comparison of the legendary creatures in these two short stories reveals the ambiguous symbolism in the modern world.
E.M.フォースターの「シレヌスの物語」とジュゼッペ・トマージ・ディ・ランペドゥーサの「教授とシレヌス」 : グロテスクで曖昧な人魚たち
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