Einklang (In unison)

I think it’s not an accident that the mythical sirens are creatures of the sea and not the mountains or forests. There is something alluring about the sea, in a very individual way. Different from a mountain, the sea is ever-changing and thus less object-like, more alive. It also feels more personal. “You cannot step into the same river twice,” says a popular parable by Heraclitus. Similarly, no two people can step into the same sea. The Ocean is yours. (In a complex, a bit silly spiritual way, of course! Not literally!) It is this relationship that the idea of sirens and mermaids (and mermen) alludes to I think.

I was very careful when I stepped behind this young lady when I took the picture. Sure, there was some of the carefulness of a street photographer who didn’t want to disturb “his” scene. But now, when I look at the image, I think there was more to it. I still sense the intimate invisible ribbon that connects her to the sea, and it was a ribbon I didn’t want to cross.

(“Einklang” literally means “one sound.” “In Einklang sein mit etwas,” to be in “one sound” with something means to have a resonant connection, to be in unison, to be tuned in towards something or someone.)