Margarete Münsterberg, ed., trans. A Harvest of German Verse. 1916.
By VinetaWilhelm Müller (17941827)
F
Sounds the muffled toll of evening bells,
And this far-off ringing wondrously
Of the fair, old wonder-city tells.
On the sand the city’s ruins stay;
Golden gleams from battlements below
Brightly mirrored on the water play.
Once has seen the necromantic glow,
To the selfsame place on every night,
Though the cliffs are threatening, must row.
Toll of muffled bells I seem to hear;
Ah, such wondrous tidings they impart
Of the love that once was held most dear.
Of a lovely world the ruins stay—
Heavenly golden gleams from far below,
In the mirror of my dreams they play.
Steep myself in all the magic light,
And I seem to hear the angels call
From the ancient wonder-city’s site.