A mermaid swam along a river blue
Under the light of a full moon.
And she tried to reach the moon
With splashes of silvery foam.
Murmuring and swirling, the river moved
The clouds reflected upon its waters.
The mermaid sang, and her words
Reached the steep river bank.
The mermaid sang, "At the river bottom,
One can see the shimmer of daylight.
There, golden schools of fish swim;
There, crystal cities stand.
There, upon a pillow of bright sand,
Under the shadow of deep thickets,
Sleeps a knight, a victim of a jealous wave.
There sleeps a foreign knight.
Among the deep darkness of night,
We like to brush the rings of his silky curls,
And at midday, many a time,
we kissed him on the forehead and lips.
But for some reason, our passionate kisses
Meet only coldness and silence;
He sleeps, and as I hold him against my breast,
He doesn't breathe, or break his sleep with even a whisper!"
So sang the mermaid on the river blue,
Filled with unexplainable sadness;
And loudly rushing by, the river moved
The clouds reflected upon its waters.
