a young man walked through the forest with his quiver and hunting bow he heard a young girl singing and followed the sound below there he found the maiden who lives in the willow he called to her as she listened from a ring of toadstools red come with me my maiden come from thy willow bed she looked at him serenely and only shook her head see me now a ray of light in the moondance see me now i cannot leave this place hear me now a strain of song in the forest don t ask me to follow where you lead a young man walked through the forest with a flower and coat of green his love had hair like fire her eyes an emerald sheen she wrapped herself in beauty so young and so serene he stood there under the willow and he gave her the yellow bloom girl my heart you ve captured oh i would be your groom she said she d wed him never not near nor far nor soon  see me now a ray of light in the moondance see me now i cannot leave this place hear me now a strain of song in the forest don t ask me to follow where you lead follow where you lead a young man walked through the forest with an axe sharp as a knife i ll take the green eyed fairy and she shall be my wife with her i ll raise my children with her i ll live my life the maiden wept when she heard him when he said he d set her free he took his axe and used it to bring down her ancient tree now your willow s fallen now you belong to me see me now a ray of light in the moondance see me now i cannot leave this place hear me now a strain of song in the forest don t ask me to follow where you lead she followed him out the forest and collapsed upon the earth her feet had walked but a distance from the green land of her birth she faded into a flower that would bloom for one bright eve he could not take from the forest what was never meant to leave4