Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid on a dolphin’s back
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres
To hear the sea-maid’s music.
– William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 1. Oberon calls Puck and reminds him of a story he once told to him. The Fairy King was watching a mermaid riding on a dolphin’s back singing with such a sweet voice that the rough sea waters of the sea became calm and stars shot out of the sky to hear her song.