There is only one story of time and space and it is constantly retold: someone far away tries to come home.
Here the harpy to semen (who is happy to see men, especially seamen) keeps Ulysses from home. (Though he seeks keeps sakes.
Someone far away tries to come home is the story of (the sorry of) death.
Otherwise this is the punchline of an old vaudeville joke: is that a carrot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
It is the same story (organ music): some thing far away tries to come home