Flying Gems: Diamond (Snowy Egret)

A Northern princess becomes a bride

Of a mighty Southern king.

Her gown must honor her kingdom’s pride —

The wedding takes place in the spring.

“I want a veil as white as snow,

A dress gray and shimmering like a sea.

Frost flowers here on windows grow —

Make my diadem look like this filigree”.

A merchant says, “To fulfill your request,

I’ll kill a white egret on a lake shore.

I’ll sprinkle with diamonds a fragile crest,

And your king will admire you even more”.

Soon, the princess has a horrible dream:

Lots of egrets are dead, their crests are gone.

The merchant has profits before unseen -

He’s making diadems, more and more.

She wakes and prays to atone for guilt.

Her wish is granted – she’s human no more:

A snowy egret spreads out her wings

And flies away to a distant shore.

To spare her life, all hunting is banned.

The lake is full of egrets again.

White birds like snowflakes cover the sand —

And who knows which one has the princess’s name?