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:
"Then he could go no further
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:
"The waters are disturbed
Some creature has been stirred"
Narrator:
"The waters are disturbed
The 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
The Fountain Of Salmacis Lyrics performed by Genesis are property and copyright of the authors, artists and labels. You should note that The Fountain Of Salmacis Lyrics performed by Genesis is only provided for educational purposes only and if you like the song you should buy the CD