Sunday morning Ileana woke up
dressed herself
went out to the millrace.
Halfway there
three sorceresses met her
one took her hair
one dressed her in nettles
one put slippers of thorns on her feet.
Aye me, they bewitched her terribly.
Ileana started to cry
and to wail.
Nobody saw her
nobody heard her
just the Mother of the Lord
from the gates of heaven.
— Ileana, why are you crying
why are you wailing?
— How can I not cry
and wail?
Because Sunday morning I woke up
dressed myself
went out to the millpond.
Halfway there
three sorceresses met me
one took my hair
one dressed me in nettles
one put slippers of thorns on my feet.
— Hush, Ileana, don't you cry
don't you wail
I'll take you by the right hand
down Adam's trail
1
to Jordan's well.
Three times I'll lower you
three times I'll plunge you
I'll wash the fapt and the hate from you
silver will shine on your breast
the sun will rise on you
I'll dress you in peacock clothes
I'll place a cluster of basil in your hand
I'll put nightingale slippers on your feet
and then you'll go to the millpond.
Halfway there
the loves appeared to you
with the lovingnesses
the handsome ones
2
with the handsomenesses
the beautiful ones
with the beauties.
They took you by the right hand
and moved you along.
And she herself was struck
by how handsome and beautiful she was.
And Ileana remained clean,
luminous.
