Der Wassermann [English translation]

Among green and clear shallow waves

Under swaying seaweed, hidden deep in the bushes

Where loamy gravel goes down to the bottom of the lake

of the watery reigning empire

Doesn't cover his teeth, that are as green as his hat

Otherwise he is the same as humans, he also keeps calm on the shore

When he pulls up chains of algae from the water

to catch those, who don't take care

And not far from the pond, before a forested hill,

through impassable thicket, a path goes along.

Through the valley to the house of the old farmer

who there befriends the waterman.

For the first time the farmer was summoned

to the house under the sea, to arrive under water,

heard of the waterman's evil jokes,

of locked souls in those jars

Doesn't cover his teeth, that are as green as his hat

Otherwise he is the same as humans, he also keeps calm on the shore

When he pulls up chains of algae from the water

to catch those, who don't take care

The farmer is enraged over the capture of the soul,

dragged into the depths, with measured thread,

In his excessive rage, yet restrained grumbling,

there he goes, so he pulls himself up and away,

His goal is clear,

When he was on the shore again, this time in a gray dress,

to pull down the one who overtakes his green band,

There the farmer walks the path he knows

through the water chamber into the waterman's house

As he arrived in the cellar dungeon

overturned the jars with a hard kick

The souls now escaped to freedom

they climb up, yearning their peace

The waterman's rage became fierce,

but he released the souls from his custody

He swore dark revenge on the farmer

but watched over him augurally,

what fate had in mind for him,

what fate had first had in mind for him...

Doesn't cover his teeth, that are as green as his hat

Otherwise he is the same as humans, he also keeps calm on the shore

When he pulls up chains of algae from the water

to catch those, who don't take care

And not far from the pond, before a forested hill,

through impassable thicket, a path goes along.

Through the valley to the house of the old farmer

who there befriends the waterman.