“Come out, dear young Melanonka,
Look about and on each hand,
Lest perchance your father stand
On some doorstep, Melanonka!”
“O I know, I know
That I have no father!...
I will send a crow
To some far-off land
To bring me news
Of my distant kin;
And into the ground,
Yea, deep within,
I will send Zuzula
For my dear father.”
The crow brings news from his long flight:
“Your kinsfolk come with much delight.”
Zuzula flies and tidings brings:
“Your father may not come,” it sings.
“The cold earth, like a heavy door
Has closed. It may not open more.
Of windows, like the shining sun,
Alas, alas, it has not one
Through which your father’s eyes might see
How fair his orphan child should be!”
“My father dear, my falcon,[56] stands
Before the Lord, and earnestly
He prays, ‘O God, from heaven to earth
Now may I go, my child to see?’”
“O humble soul—they have no need
For such as thee. Her maidens there,
Faithful attendants, wait her will,
Arrange the wreath on her bright hair,
Heaping her dowry very high,
They’ll seat thy daughter as a queen,
They’ll robe her as a lady fair.”