Irmelin - Jens Peter Jacobsen

There lived a king in days departed,
Many treasures rare he owned,
But far beyond the best of these
He thought his beauteous Irmelin,
Irmelin rose,
Irmelin sun,
Irmelin loveliest of all!

Every knightly helmet shining
Mirrored back her image bright,
Every poet sang of passion,
Breathed her name by day and night:
Irmelin rose,
Irmelin sun,
Irmelin loveliest of all!

Knights by hundreds, noble wooers,
Thronged the ancient castle hall,
Wooed the maid with fond devotion,
Wooed with sweet and flowered word:
Irmelin rose,
Irmelin sun,
Irmelin loveliest of all!

But the princess would not listen,
Cold her heart was, cold as steel,
She lightly mocked their marks of anguish
And scorned their pangs of hopeless love.
Irmelin rose,
Irmelin sun,
Irmelin loveliest of all!

---

Jens Peter Jacobsen (1847 - 1885) Denmark
Translated by Frederick Delius

Source: The Complete Delius Songbook Vol 2, Mark Stone & Stephen Barlow, Boosey & Hawkes, 2011