It is a sad tale,
the one they tell,
of Undine
the changeling,
Undine
who took on legs
to walk the land
and dance
on those ungainly stalks
before a prince
of the earthfolk.
He betrayed her;
they always do
the landsmen.
Her arms around him
meant little more
than a finger of foam
curled around his ankle.
Her lips on his
he thought cold,
brief and cold
as the touch of a wave.
He betrayed her,
they always do,
left her to find
her way back home
over thousands of land miles,
the only salt her tears,
and she as helpless
as a piece of featherweed
tossed broken onto the shore.
About the Author: Jane Yolen is the award-wining author of over 150 books for children, adolescents, and adults. She has published fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and edited collections of folktales. This poem was inspired by Undine and Mermaid legends.
Copyright © 1997 by Jane Yolen. The poem first appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and subsequently appeared in Neptune Rising: Songs and Tales of the Undersea Folk, illustrated by David Wiesner. It may not be reproduced in any form without the author’s express written permission.