The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-09-18
The Lily Maidens.
The Weird Sisters OF the Mummel Zee
A Legend of the Black Forest.
PHILADELPHIA Tines /


Far in depths of the Back Forest lies the
gloomy Mummel Zee, lake with scarcely a
ripple to stir the dead calm of its waters. Deep
and dark and motionless they lie and bending
over them grow countless lilies their pallid
beauty reflected back from the dusky mirror
into which they gaze. The fairest lilies in the
German land cluster around this hidden lake
and seem to browse their lives away amid the
mournful silence of the forest. Strange stories
are told of these graceful flowers. Sad and pale
they droop beneath the sun, but when night
comes and the moonlight touches tho ds.h wa
ters of the lake they gain fairy life, and he
who reaches the spot at such time might see
Mummels lily daughters dancing around the
water, their white robes cleaning in the moon
rays, their fair hair floating on the midnight
wind. Only few hours of gay existence can
be theirs, and then, transformed again into
flowers, they bend their dainty heads above
the sullen waters
No such wild legend as this had drawn Sir
Olaf into the forest depths, but separated from
his fellowhuntsmen he sought in vain path
to lead him out of the woods that surrounded
him, thick, silent and inpenetrable Pressing
on in blind confusion as the twilight faded
rapidly into night, he came suddenly upon the
haunted Mummel Zee, around whose banks
clustered the tall white lilies, shining dimly in
the gathering gloom Perhaps he had heard
the tale of their transformation and waited to
prove its falseness with his own eyes; perhaps
the gloomy beauty of the spot tempted his fam
cy; but for whatever reason it might be, he re-
solved to stay by this lonely lake until the
rnoruinU 1ivbf cbouId hla G. ~
way out of the forest.
He tethered his horse to a tree, land wrapping
his cloak about him, threw himself on the
long grass, and watched the flowers before him
grow more and more indistinct as the light
darkened, while vast silence reigned in the
dim woods around
Strange thoughts pass through mans brain
at such time. The things of earth grow far
off and vague, and the unreal world, the land
of fancy and unhidden wonders unrolls itself
before the watchers mind. After while q
few stray moonbeam5 came fickering through
the trees and shining on the black surface of
the lake, which, as though conscious of their
touch, began to gently heave and ripple along
its banks. A soft night wind stirred the tail
reeds and grasses on the shore, and they gave
forth faint, sweet music. Now the moon is
higher, and its yellow light shines afull ON the
Mummel Zee and the clustering lilies that
sway slowly to and fro beneath its brightness,
growing taller, straighter, whittier than before.
Now they are moving rapidly, and now-Sir
Olaf sprang to his feet in amazement, for
where the languid flowers had dropped few
minutes ago there stood band of slender
nymphs who joined their delicate hands, and
danced lightly round the water side. Their
sweeping robes were white as frost, their hair
the color of the moonbeams; but as they danced
a faint rose1ush dyed their pallid faces, adding
an earthly lovelinesS to their spirit beauty.
Louder and louder swept the music from the
reeds, and sailing in cloudless sky the moon
poured down her light upon the throbbjng
Mummel Zee. The lily-ssters paused for an
instant in their dance. and looked .at Sir Olaf
with wide-open passionless eyes, then swept by
as hardly needing his presence. All save one,
the tallest and fairest of the Eband, who lin
gered for moment to gaze at the strange
knight, and as she met his glance her eyelids
dropped little and deeper blush stinged the
pure pallor of her cheek. Sir Olaf kept his
burning eye upon her as she glided off, and he
could see a strange, half-troubled radiance
creep into her face, as if "a new spirit were
striving to enter into this soulless creature
With passionate love he watched her. and
she dropped before the presence of this un-
known power.
Round and round in a bewildering maze
dance the Lily Maidens to the sobbing music
of the reeds. He can be passive no longer, but
starting forward, stood in their very midst
Unheeding him they still swept on. but when
the tallest passed him, obeying some blind i'm
pulse, he caught her hand and held her firmly
by his side. She trembled and her dark eyes
filled with tears as she looked sadly at him,
but even in that glance he read an awakened
soul. With faint sigh she turned away, but
ere she could join her sisters the watersfof the
lake were parted and huge head, garlanded
with dripping grasses, rose from its surface. 1t
is the Giant Elf, the guardian spirit of the
Mummel Zee, and trembling in his presence.
the Lily Maidens cease to dance and stand
dropping beneath his angry frown.
Fercely he waves his clenched right ihand.
"Your time is past" he cries, and, hanging
low their graceful heads, they stand once more
a hank of clustering lilies, bending drowsily
beneath the first gray streak Of dawn-al ex-
cept one, and she lies withered on her slender
stalk. Her sisters may often again dance be-
meath the yellow moonbeams, but into her pas
sionless nature a ray of love had entered, and,
unable to endure its fire, she had faded into
nothingness, after one throbbing moment of
fierce human nature.
The day has come! The Mummel Zee lies
still and dark, and over it the languid lilies
droop. Sir Olaf kisses once more a withered
flower he holds, then laying it gently down
among its blooming sis.ers, he mounts his
horse and silently rides away.