Fountain of Salmacis Songtext
von Steve Hackett

From a dense forest of tall dark pinewood
Mount Ida rises like an island
Within a hidden cave, nymphs kept the child
Hermaphroditus, son of gods, so free to be a god
As the dawn creeps up the sky, the hunter caught sight of a doe
In desire for conquest, he found himself
Within that glade he′d not beheld before

He had no love of father
He must follow his mother's command
And as his strength began to fail, he saw the shimmering lake
A shadow in the dark green depths disturbed the strange tranquility

The waters were disturbed
But some voices had been disturbed
As he rushed to quench his thirst
A fountain spring appeared before him
And as his heat and 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 in a cloak of mist alone
And as he gazed her eyes were filled with the darkness of the lake

She shed a silent word
"Drink and all is life, son of the deep"

"Away from me, cold-blooded woman, your thirst is not mine"

"Nothing will come of this
I will be your mother, your own
You will be my son, the son of the deep"
And with that the nymph gave birth to the child


The infant was born of the water
The sun and the moon
The wind and the earth
The sky and the stars
And the child grew into a man
With the knowledge of the deep
And with the knowledge of women
And with the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of women
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of women
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of women
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the sky
And the knowledge of the sun, the moon, the stars
And the wind, and the earth, and the
SkyA moonlit calm descended from the sky
And then their flesh and bones were strangely merged
Forever to be joined as one
One flesh
The creature crawled into the lake
A fading voice was heard
And I′ll beg, yes, I'll beg that all who touch this spring
May share my fate
We are made one
We are made one
Both had given everything they had
A lover's dream had been fulfilled at last
Forever still beneath the lake