Chorus
The rooms sparkle in the king's palace,
Come hither with flutes and violins;
The king's beautiful daughter
Is dancing her wedding dance in the palace.

Alto Solo
She is wearing the wreath of myrtles in her hair,
But she goes about mute and constrained;
Upon her breast she wears a blooming rose,
But her cheeks, they are so pale.

She is dancing with a foreign prince,
He wears royal purple and silk;
But more handsome, a thousand times more handsome was
The lad in page's attire.

Chorus
Hail! Hail to the bride! The bride! The noble bride!
Come hither with flutes and violins!

At the golden table twelve maidens stand
To serve the sparkling wine;
Twelve pages circle around the bridal pair
With flaming torches and wreaths.

Merman (from the distrance)
Ha, be still! Fine palace beside the sea,
Listen to the merman's harping!

Chorus
The torches flicker out, the violins go mute --

King
Tell me, what is the meaning of this silence?

Musician
Lord King, do not enflame in rage,
We cannot blow [our horns] or bow [our violins];
The merman is playing the harp before your palace,
We must give way to the merman.

Chorus
Hark!  How it wafts up from the sea!
Oh sweet, sorrowful reverberation!
It creeps so gently through the night
Up into the halls [of the castle].

It creeps so gently into the ear of the bride;
It seems to her, as if from the depths,
As if from the depths with all-encompassing power
Her dearest lover were calling her.

Princess
The power of the song makes my poor heart
Dissolve in death!

And though my knight is wonderfully resplendent
In his shining finery,
Ah, more handsome, a thousand times more handsome was
The lad in page's attire.

Chorus
It creeps so gently through the twilit night
Into the festive halls [of the castle].
From out of [the princess's] curls the myrtle wreath
Falls wilted at her feet.

Alto solo
The king shudders in his very marrow,
He flees in horror from the sound;
The foreign prince hastens
To his horses in the stable.

Chorus
In the festive hall lies the pale bride,
Her heart has burst;
The morning light gloomily illumines the windows,
The echoes of the merman's harp have faded away.