Das Märchen vom Königssohn deutsche Übersetzung
von Witthüser & Westrupp

Once upon a time there was a king's son who set out to look for a girl who had met him in a dream. He wandered through his father's country, soon he was here, soon there, and met many people he would have liked to stay with longer.. But since he could not find the girl, he went on and on until one day he came through a forest and stood suddenly at a lake shimmering in bright, beautiful colours like he had never seen before. And over the lake he heard a girl's voice singing, clear and pure, like the voice of his dream. He looked around and saw a hut on the other side of the lake from which the voice seemed to come. Then he made his way to the other shore and walked along the lake, through fields of flowers that he knew only from a wide and almost forgotten memory. He saw trees standing on his path, gnarled and old, and their murmur sounded like a mighty choir accompanying the singing of the distant voice.
Shimmering butterflies flew around him and guided him all the way to the hut. On the bench in front of the hut he saw an old man sitting, dressed in the clothes of the travelling people. Sparkling eyes looked at the newcomer under bushy brows, penetrating and warm, like the rays of the sun. And the king's son asked for the girl's voice and the place where he could find it. The old man looked at him for a long time, then he smiled, stood up, and fetched a bowl from the hut, which he filled with the water of the lake. And he indicated to the king's son to look inside the bowl. When the king's son looked inside he felt as if he was looking into a magic mirror. He saw a landscape of paradisiacal beauty, far below at the bottom of the lake, and he felt as if a wave was pulling him with it - deeper, deeper, deeper...

The world was young, the mountains green,
And spotlessly the moon shone here,
The foliage hung densely, the tops free,
As at the time that so long over.
He wore an elf-white dress,
And seven candlesticks were burning,
When he entered through the great
Rune gate a deeply hidden land.


Far behind he saw a shine
Of light, in the dark woods,
Of wafting veils a shine,
Of golden sparks a thousand times;
Brightly he called her her name,
The voice throw a spell to her,
She stopped her rapid running,
He caught her in his arms.

Under her shadow hair,
Mirrored in the pair of eyes,
The stars lighten up,
He was enchanted by her face;
At his side the girl walked,
The harp sounded, the singer sang,
And in front of the gate blown the horn
By the guard to the time passage.

They entered the halls where they can not know
Neither past nor future,
The longing finds its longing,
The light of love burns forever.
The world was young, the mountains green,
And spotlessly the moon shone here,
The foliage hung densely, the tops free,
As at the time that so long over.

The picture faded, and the king's son noticed that he was looking at the stars flashing in the bowl. And the old man took his arm, led it to the bench and said: "this mirror shows many things, and not all will be as they appearence here; some will never happen unless those who see the images deviate from their path to prevent them. And remember that the mirror is dangerous as a guide to deeds. And after these words he left the king's son. This one went down to the shore of the lake, looked into the water - and jumped.