The Fairy Tale of the Miracle Spring, fifth Act

[MRS. BALDE]:
Since that night,
the boy found no more women, even when he sat pensively
at the rock spring.
But his soul could not forget
The cup of the water women,
Nor the wild dragon.
And when, after many years
— — — — — — — —
And it seemed fitting
That in the ripe season of life
The man could visit
The beloved nursery of his childhood.
He was driven by a longing for the place
Where once, in the silvery moonlight
Through the play of water droplets
His spirit friends had joined him.
And again the droplets formed
Into wondrous spirit beings.
Only this time he could see them even more clearly.
There were three female beings,
And as if by magic words,
They spoke to his soul in feelings
That he clearly perceived as their words.
One spoke gently:
I have remained faithful to you,
And when the bitterness of life
Filled your soul,
I refreshed you with the memory
Of sunlight and forest joys,
Which accompanied your youth.
You could not interpret it,
How through all of life's seriousness and struggles
The bliss of childhood days
Were comfort and help to you.
And as cheerful as the sun itself speaks,
So sounded the second speech:
My loyalty to you did not fade either.
I once gave you understanding
Of mysterious spiritual powers,
Which from the light of life's meaning
Can speak to people.
And because you sought me
In your tender youth,
I was able to live in the depths of your soul
In your laborious life.
So that your gaze could never stray
From the heights of existence, where the values of life
Also lend to the futile
The light and splendor of the spirit,
It was shown to you as a boy
By me in this magical place,
And you felt it powerfully,
When courage and joy of life often faded. And the third also spoke:
You often found life's burdens great,
But never could flee from the darkness of existence
Flee from your soul
The words of wisdom of life.
And though I myself do not know
The reason for our laborious existence,
The spiritual powers know it well,
They who showed me the field of action.
To create even in the smallest things
Is the work of the spirit.
When a child's pensive heart
From springs and forests
Acquires a sense of duty early on,
Which I am allowed to bring to people,
The strongest vitality has been bestowed upon him,
Which guides him safely and keeps him upright.
Immersed completely in such words
Spoken by childhood friends
The man lingered for a long time.
And when his steps turned back
To the everyday circles of his life,
He knew a great secret,
That the power of the spirit and nature
Was revealed to him in the twilight of childhood,
And that with all clarity
The powers of fate revealed to him
In the prime of his life.
But if another person had asked him
About the secret knowledge
That had been bestowed upon him by the power of the spirits,
He could only have felt silently
The richest source of life's power. It flows from those words
That rest in the depths of the soul
And never leave the realm of the heart. —