“Flee away,” said his soul,“for ever doth the sea come higher and if thou tarriest it will slay thee.Flee away,for I am afraid,seeing that thy heart is closed against me by reason of the greatness of thy love.Flee away to a place of safety.Surely thou wilt not sent me without a heart into another world?”
But the young fisherman listened not to his soul,but called on the little mermaid and said:“Love is better than wisdom,and more precious than riches,and fairer than the feet of the daughters of men.The fires cannot destroy it,not can the waters quench it.I called on thee at dawn,and thou didst come to my call.The moon heard thy name,yet hadst thou no heed of me.For evilly had I left thee,and to my own hurt had I wandered away.Yet ever did thy love abide with me,and ever was it strong,not did aught prevail against it,though I have looked upon evil and looked upon good.And now that thou art dead,surely I will die with thee also.”