The Fountain Of Salmacis

The 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.

Hermaphroditus:
\"Where are you, my father?
Give wisdom to your son\"
Narrator:
Now lost, the boy was guided by the sun\"
\"Then he could go no farther
And as his strength began to fail
He saw a shimmering lake.
A shadow in the dark green depths
Disturbed the strange tranquility.
Salmacis:
\"The waters are disturbed
Some creature has been stirred\"
Narrator:
\"The waters are disturbed
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.

Salmacis:
\"We shall be one
We shall be joined as one\"
Narrator:
\"She wanted them as one
Yet he had no desire to be one\"
Hermaphroditus:
\"Away from me cold-blooded woman
Your thirst is not mine\"
Salmacis:
\"Nothing will cause us to part
Hear me, O Gods\"
Unearthly calm descended 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\"
Salmacis:
\"We are the one
We are the one\"
Narrator:
\"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.