The Tale of the Forest

THE TALE OF THE FOREST

Glorious emperor is the forest, Countless peoples live and grow, Flourish ’neath his gracious shelter, All to him allegiance owe.

Moon and stars, the sun above them, On his blue escutcheon are, Harts and hinds, his courtiers, wander In his kingdom wide and far.

Messengers, the hares swift-footed, Bear the news; while nightingales Form an orchestra most wondrous, And the springs are telling tales.

Swarms of wand’ring bees alight there On the flowers, in the glade; Ants, great armies, their food gather Near the pathways, in the shade.

Let’s go to the king, belovèd, Let’s like children be, let’s dream, So that love, and joy, our whole life, As a game to us may seem.

And thus happy, blithely living, Being now again a boy, I should think that nature made thee Just for me, the sweetest toy.

From the world we both will wander, All alone and lost we’ll be, We shall sleep beside the fountain Springing ’neath the old lime-tree.

And the tree will shed its flowers On us, far away now borne; All alone, from distant sheepfolds, Dreaming we shall hear the horn…

Nearer, always nearer sounding — Nearer we’ll be arm in arm… On the waters, in the bowers Weaves the moon a magic charm.

Soon by horn the wise men’s council, Called together by the king, With his whole court’s great assembly, Cornes around us gathering.

Foaming white the hippocampus, Diademed the aurochs goes, Stags with their majestic antlers, And the nimble mountain roes.

Who we are, they all discuss it, From the lime-tree ask it now; And our host then, gently speaking, With his branches makes a bow:

„See how happy they are dreaming, In a fairy tale they seem… See how much they love each other! ’Tis the beech-wood’s blissful dream!“