Soon the moon will rise over the lake!
She will peer into the deep...
...and the Water Gnome will nod his green head!
Who's stealing through the night?
Water Gnome, the moon has risen! She's looking through your window.
Soon she'll break down the door to your silver palace!
The moon drifts over the water.
Breezes dance on the lake, waking the Water Gnome.
Water Gnome, Water Gnome.
Bubbles are rising from the depths!
Behold, the Water Gnome has appeared!
The Water Gnome wants to marry.
Which of us will win the honor of fixing his bath, combing his hair...
...and playing nursemaid to his wife?
I welcome you all to the lake.
Was it too gloomy for you in the woods?
In the deep I have untold splendors and hundreds of golden fish!
All I need do is reach out...
...seize one of you, and drag you down!
Catch us if you can, Water Gnome!
Catch us if you can!
The one you catch will give you a kiss.
And your wife will box your ears!
Catch us if you can, Water Gnome!
Insolent wenches!
Off they go.
They dart up hill and down dale.
Ah, to be young.
Water Gnome, dear Father!
Curse it, child! My nets will dry out in this moonlight!
Father, stay with me until the waters rise...
...for I am unhappy.
- Unhappy? - I will tell you...
- In my realm? - I'm so unhappy I could die!
I can't believe it!
I want to leave this place.
I want to be mortal, to walk in the sun!
I want to leave the deep waters and walk in the sun.
I can scarcely believe it!
To become mortal!
A human being!
It was you who told me about them.
That they have souls, which we do not.
And that these souls rise up to heaven when they die.
And their bodies turn to nothing.
Remain in the water's embrace. Do not wish for a soul.
A soul is a thing full of wickedness!
And love!
By the eternal waters, are you saying you love a mortal?
He often comes to visit me.
He leaves the shore and hurries into my watery caress.
Yet I am only a wave. He cannot see my true being.
I must become a human.
I must become a woman.
Oh, to embrace him, to hold him in my arms.
If only he could embrace me, and kiss me passionately.
And kiss me!
Daughter, you will cause your sisters to weep for you every night.
Once you belong to a mortal, they cannot help you.
Father, he must be able to see me.
How can I make that happen?
You will be lost forever...
...if you surrender to a mortal.
It's useless to try luring you back to the depths.
Ask the witch Zimbabwe for help. Alas, my poor, pale Perusal!
Sorrow! Sorrow! Sorrow!
Moon in the heavens, your light shines on everyone, near and far.
You see where mortals dwell...
...throughout the vast world.
You shine on mortals near and far...
...wherever they live in this wide world.
Moon, tell me, where is my beloved?
Tell me, where is he?
Tell him, silver moon, that I am holding him in my arms.
He should dream of me...
...at least for a while.
He should dream of me, at least for a while.
Shed your light upon him, oh, so far away.
Shed your light, and tell him I await him.
If he is dreaming of me, let him wake.
Moon, do not vanish!
The water is cold.
Zimbabwe!
Poor, pale Perusal...alas!
Zimbabwe!
Lamenting, sighing, weeping.
Who wakes me before dawn?
Zimbabwe, help me!
Free me from these waters!
I hear something! Someone's there! Who is it? Speak!
It is Perusal, the water nymph.
Dear Aunt, give me a potion!
If you're a nymph, show yourself to me.
The waves won't let me. The water lilies hold me prisoner!
Break loose and come to me!
Waves, set her free!
Let her feet touch the ground!
Little feet will carry her along.
See, they already know how to move!
Zimbabwe! Help me!
You, in your wisdom, know all.
You have divined the secrets of nature.
In the dark of night, you enter human dreams.
You understand the eternal elements, concocting cures and poisons.
You can build. You can destroy. You can kill and create.
You can change a man into a monster, and back again.
You know the mysteries of transformation!
You frighten us nymphs at night, and brew strange potions for human ills.
You inhabit our world and the world of humans.
Help me, worker of miracles!
Help me, I beg you!
You can do anything!
I know, I know. That's why they come to me.
I know! That's what everybody says.
Listen well before you drink my potion.
You have pearls, and you have beauty. What will you give me if I help you?
All I have is yours...
...if you will change me into a human being!
That's all? Nothing more?
That's why you came to me?
Weary of the water, you want a human body, to love and be loved.
To kiss and be kissed. I know, that's why they all come to me!
In your wisdom, you know all.
Give me a human body and a human soul.
By the devil, I'll do it!
In return, you must give me your transparent water veil.
And should you fail to win your love, you will be cursed!
If you lose the love you pursue, the waters will chain you to the deep.
Even as a mortal you must suffer. To every human ear you will be mute!
Do you wish not to speak...
...not to speak to the one whose love you seek?
If I can win his love, I will gladly be silent.
He is yours, but mark me well.
If you return betrayed to your native waters...
...your lover will die there as well and share your fate.
Eternal damnation!
Give me a human soul...
...and my love will triumph over sorcery.
Hurry up and come along!
We'll mix a potion. Perusal will drink it.
And then, not another word!
Abracadabra!
A mist is on the meadow!
Dragon's blood, just a drop, and ten drops of bile.
Beating heart of a bird...see how the cauldron boils!
Look lively, all of you, and stir the bubbling brew.
Abracadabra!
Don't be afraid!
This will make her human.
Once she drinks it, her tongue will turn to wood!
Look lively, all of you, pour the brew down her throat!
And then, not another word!
A hunter was riding through the woods, when he saw a white doe.
Her spied her eyes, large and dark. Will my arrow find its prey?
Young hunter, ride on! Do not take aim at the white doe.
Shield yourself from her gaze!
Will my arrow find its prey?
I saw her here, but then she vanished.
Through valleys, over mountains roams this strange prey.
Now its tracks have vanished.
The water, full of mystery, lures me to it...
...as if its embrace would cool the ardor of the hunt.
My steps are unsteady.
What is this strange feeling?
My arms have no strength. Since the hunt began, I sensed something.
I felt some magic holding me under its spell!
That was no doe! Stop, young hunter!
May God protect you!
Your heart is dead.
What did your arrow hit?
The hunt is over. Return to the castle.
There is a strange magic in the woods, and an even stranger one in my heart.
Return home, friends!
I shall remain here.
Divine one, are you real?
Are you here to protect that creature I've been chasing?
Are you here to plead for her life, sister of the white doe...
...or are you offering yourself as my trophy?
Does a secret seal your lips, or are you mute?
If your lips are mute, my kiss will make them speak.
Reveal the mystery that lured me here over rocky paths...
...so that on this blissful day, I can bask in the magic of your eyes!
What do you conceal in your heart?
If it is love for me, speak!
Sisters! One of us is missing!
Where have you gone, dear sister?
Through the valleys, over the mountains!
Sister, where are you?
I know you are only a vision that will vanish.
You will disappear in the mist.
But until you do, stay with me!
The hunt is over, but what of that? You are my prize!
Little golden star in the night, my fairy tale...
...come with me!