| From a dense forest of tall dark pinewood, mount ida rises like an island.
within a hidden cave, nymphs had kept a child;
hermaphroditus, son of gods, so afraid of their love.
As the dawn creeps up the sky
the hunter caught sight of a doe.
in desire for conquest,
he found himself within a glade he'd not beheld before.
hermaphroditus:
"where are you, my father?
give wisdom to your son"
narrator:
now lost, the boy was guided by the sun"
"then he could go no farther
And as his strength began to fail
he saw a shimmering lake.
a shadow in the dark green depths
disturbed the strange tranquility.
salmacis:
"the waters are disturbed
some creature has been stirred"
narrator:
"the waters are disturbed
naiad queen salmacis has been stirred"
As he rushed to quench his thirst,
a fountain spring appeared before him
and as his heated breath brushed through the cool mist,
a liquid voice called, "son of gods, drink from my spring".
The water tasted strangely sweet.
behind him the voice called again.
he turned and saw her, in a cloak of mist alone
and as he gazed, her eyes were filled with the darkness of the lake.
salmacis:
"we shall be one
we shall be joined as one"
narrator:
"she wanted them as one
yet he had no desire to be one"
hermaphroditus:
"away from me cold-blooded woman
your thirst is not mine"
salmacis:
"nothing will cause us to part
hear me, o gods"
Unearthly calm descended from the sky
and then their flesh and bones were strangely merged
forever to be joined as one.
The creature crawled into the lake.
a fading voice was heard:
"and i beg, yes i beg that all who touch this spring
may share my fate"
salmacis:
"we are the one
we are the one"
narrator:
"the two are now made one
demi-god and nymph are now made one"
Both had given everything they had.
a lover's dream had been fulfilled at last,
forever still beneath the lake.
|
|
