Agnès and the Merman
Agnès stands on Highland Bridge ⁽¹⁾
— The birds sing —
And up from the blue waves came the merman
— Lovely Agnès ! —

His hair was like the purest gold
His eyes were so delightful

«And hear me, Agnès, so fair and noble!
And will you be my dearest one?»

«Oh yes, truthfully, I will be so,
If you take me with you beneath the blue waves»

He stopped her ears, he closed her mouth
Then he led her to the bottom of the sea

On the bottom of the sea is his home
There Agnès walks in red gold shoes

There they were together for eight years
Seven sons and a daugther with the merman she has

Agnès sat by the cradle and sang;
Then she heard the English bells ring

Agnès walks to stand before the merman
«And may I just this once go to church?»

«Oh yes, truthfully, you may do so,
If you come back to the children so small»

«Yes, surely and indeed, I will;
Nothing is dearer to me in this world»

«But when you to church go
You may not put your red gold on

And when you arrive at the churchyard
You may not let your fair yellow hair fall free

And when you walk into the church porch
You may not smile under the scarlet hide

And when you walk on the church floor
You may not walk over to where your mother sits

And when the priest mentions the holy one
you may not bow down»

But when she to church went
She put all her red gold on

And when she arrived at the churchyard
Agnès let her fair yellow hair fall free

And when she walked into the church porch
Agnès smiled under the scarlet hide

And when she walked on church floor
She walked over to where her mother sat

And when the priest mentioned the holy one
She bowed down deeply

Then her mother said, she stood near her:
«Agnès ! Agnès ! where do you come from?

Agnès ! Agnès ! dear daughter so gentle!
Where have you been for such a long time?

Where have you been for such a long time?
And where did your cheeks get so white?»

«On the bottom of the sea is my home
There I have give myself to the merman

There the gentle sun doesn’t shine
therefore are my cheeks so white

Seven sons I have given him
The eighth is a maiden so tiny»

«What did the merman give you for your honor
When he made you his bride?»

«He gave me five gold rings
With both roses and lilies were they decorated

And he gave me red gold bracelets
Nothing greater exists on the hand of a queen

And he gave me gold-buckled shoes
Nothing greater exists on the foot of a queen

And he gave me a harp of gold
To play on, when I was sorrowful

But now I will stay on the greenest ground
And never again go to the bottom of the sea»

The two thought, they were there alone,
But meanwhile the merman stood and heard it all

The merman went in through the church door
and all the small images turned around (Images of saints)

His hair was like the purest gold
His eyes were so tearful

«Agnès ! Agnès ! come to the sea with me!
Your small children long for you»

«Yes, let them long, as long as they would like!
I will go to them nevermore»

«Oh, think of the big! and think of the small!
And think most of all of the little, who in the cradle lay!»

«No, never again will I think of the big or the small
And least of all of the little, who in the cradle lay» ⁽²⁾

The merman rose his right hand:
«Gloom and dark over all the land!»

There was gloom and darkened cloud
It hid all of land and town

Agnès walks blindly
She can’t find her way

She meant to walk over greenest ground
When she took the way to the bottom of the sea

She meant to walk to her mother’s farm
When she took the way that lead to the deep

«Welcome, Agnès, under the blue waves!
Never again shall you on the green earth walk

Never again shall you on the green earth walk
And never again shall you see your children so small

But here you shall sit on hard grey stone
And here you can play with dead men’s bones

Though I will let you keep the harp of gold
That you may play so sorrowful»

This one may hear in greenest grove
— The birds sing —
Agnès played the harp on the bottom of the sea
— Lovely Agnès ! —