the rude sea grew civil at her song

Who would be A mermaid fair, Singing alone, Combing her hair Under the sea, In a golden curl With a comb of pearl, On a throne? I would be a mermaid fair; I would sing to myself the whole of the day; With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair; And still as I comb I would sing and say, "Who is it loves me? who loves not me?"
- Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Mermaid