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

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 baby’s spirit that sings:        ‘Come, mamma! come!        ‘Quick! follow me!‘Step out on the leaves of the water-lily!’This poem was adapted for singing by Priscilla Herdman (US) as recorded on The Water Lily, 1977,

Philo CD 1014 (CD); a link to Herdman's recording is: