What's the use, maiden

What's the use, maiden,

of this pretense you practice?

Welcome your new joy gladly

and say it openly - that you love!

From the swelling of your bosom

and the flush on your cheeks that comes and goes,

your secret has, by fountains

and flowerspirits, long been recognized;

wavelets murmur it in the grottos,

the evening breeze whispers it,

and wherever you pass, you hear a teasing:

"We've known it for a long time, child!"