Die wilde Jagd [English translation]

A girl comes from the valley to the village

So lovely and fair

The black miller1 sees her

And wants to be her beloved 2

Go away, you dark miller you,

And let me be in peace,

The wreath that I've held for so long

I don't want to share it with you

Run, love3, run

And watch out for yourself well

The master of the black mill

Wants you for his wife tonight (2x)

She then became a swallow

She flew away from him into the sky

But the miller flew as a falcon

Right behind her

She became a steed so white,

And leaped through the first grass 4

But he became the saddle that

sat firmly on her back

Run, love, run

And watch out for yourself well

The master of the black mill

Wants you for his wife tonight (2x)

She became a white hare

And ran half the night

But the miller became a fox

And pursued her close behind

She became ship on the high sea

And sailed far away from land

But he became the helmsman

Who stood firmly at the rudder

Run, love, run

And watch out for yourself well

The master of the black mill

Wants you for his wife tonight (2x)

So went this cursed hunt

And to be sure for the whole night

So that the miller full of lust

Overlooked the coming of morning.

The girl turned into the morning light

That was shining through the valley

The black miller found an end 5

And was never seen again.

Run, love, run

Back home in the light of morning

You'll see the miller nevermore

The wild hunt is over. (2x)

1. "black", probably refers to "black magic" here, certainly not to the color of the miller's skin, as the formulation I'm using might imply. It may be a reference to the fairytale "Krabat", see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krabat2. literally, "most loved one"3. "love" in the sense of "dear", as a pet name etc.4. first grass of the year or season, perhaps5. perhaps "his end" is meant, but I translated it literally