The Water Lily

A lonely young wife     In her dreaming discerns     A lily-decked pool     With a border of ferns,     And a beautiful child,     With butterfly wings,     Trips down to the edge of the water and sings:     Come, mamma! come!     Quick! follow me,     Step out on the leaves of the water-lily!     And the lonely young wife,     Her heart beating wild,     Cries, Wait till I come,     Till I reach you, my child!     But the beautiful child     With butterfly wings     Steps out on the leaves of the lily and sings:     Come, mamma! come!     Quick! follow me!     And step on the leaves of the water-lily!     And the wife in her dreaming     Steps out on the stream,     But the lily leaves sink     And she wakes from her dream.     Ah, the waking is sad,     For the tears that it brings,     And she knows tis her dead babys spirit that sings:     Come, mamma! come!     Quick! follow me!     Step out on the leaves of the water-lily!