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| WHEN Sir Ulrich’s widow in church knelt to pray, | |
| From the church yard toward her floated a lay. | |
| The organ on high did cease to sound, | |
| The priests and the boys all stood spellbound; | |
| The congregation hearkened, old man, child and bride | 5 |
| To singing like a nightingale’s so fair, outside: | |
| “Dear mother, in the church where the sexton’s bell rings, | |
| Dear mother, hark outside how your daughter sings! | |
| For I cannot come to you in the church—ah, nay, | |
| Before the shrine of Mary I cannot kneel to pray, | 10 |
| For I have lost salvation in everlasting time, | |
| For I wedded the waterman with all his black, black slime. | |
| My children—they play in the lake with fishes fleet, | |
| They have fins on their hands and fins on their feet, | |
| Their little pearly frocks no sunlight ever dries, | 15 |
| Not death nor yet a dream can close my children’s eyes.— | |
| Dear mother, oh, I beg of thee, | |
| Lovingly, longingly: | |
| Wilt thou and all thy servants pray | |
| For my green-haired water-sprites alway, | 20 |
| Will ye pray to the saints and to our Lady kind, | |
| By every church and every cross that on the fields ye find! | |
| Dearest mother, I beseech thee so— | |
| Every seven years I may hither go— | |
| Unto the good priest tell, | 25 |
| The church door he shall open well— | |
| That I may see the candle-light | |
| And see the golden monstrance bright, | |
| That my little children may be told | |
| How the gleam of the Cup is like sunlight gold!” | 30 |
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| The organ pealed when the voice sang no more, | |
| And then they opened wide the door— | |
| And while they all inside high mass were keeping, | |
| A wave all white, so white, outside was leaping. | |
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