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
Narrator
Where are you, my father?
Then he could go no farther
Give wisdom to your son
Now lost, the boy was guided by the sun
And as his strength began to fail
He saw a shimmering lake.
A shadow in the dark green depths
Disturbed the strange tranquility.
Salmacis
Narrator
The waters are disturbed
The waters are disturbed
Some creature has been stirred
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.
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
Narrator
We shall be one!
She wanted them as one
We shall be joined 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
Narrator
We are the one
The two are now made one,
We are the 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.
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