Song of the Water Nixies
By the ripple, ripple of the shallow sea,
By the rocky sea,
By the hollow sea,
We have built a giant windmill, with its long arms free,
And it grinds, that we
May not hungry be.
With a rumble and a roar, sounding all along the shore,
We should vanish and should perish if our wheel were heard no more.
Little hopes of fisher maidens in the far-off town,
In our wheel go down,
Evermore go down,
For the fisher lads that hold them in the deep sea drown,
By our grinding drown,
For our pleasures drown.
Rend the garment from the soul; let it go, we care not where;
What do mortals want with spirit? ’Tis the bodies that are fair.
Out beyond the green horizon lurks the vengeful day,
Lurks the fateful day,
Lurks the hateful day.
When the winds shall cease to help us in our shark-like play,
When our calm cold sway
Shall have passed away,
When the wreckers and the wrecked both at peace shall be,—
When the threat shall be fulfilled, and there be no more sea.
Sarah Williams.