Fountain of Salmacis

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

“Where are you my father
Give wisdom to your son”
(“Then he could go no further
Now lost, The boy was guided by the sun”)

And as his strength began to fail
He saw a shimmering lake
A shadow in the dark green depths
Disturbed the strange tranquility

“The waters are disturbed
Some creature has been stirred”
(“The waters are disturbed
The 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

“We shall be one
We shall be joined as one”
(“She wanted them as one
Yet he had no desire to be one”)

“Away from me cold-blooded woman
Your thirst is not mine”
“Nothing will cause us to part
Hear me, O Gods”

Unearthly calm ascended 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.”

“We are the one
We are the one”
(“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