On midsummer's night he strayed into the woods To a grove where an ancient oak grew by a lake He met a maiden on the shore Who came and whispered to him: "Come look into my mirror" She took his hand and led him To the water's edge where Their reflection they stared You will be king for a summer's day And you can ask for whatever you may Not a thing shall be denied of you For on that thunder-blasted oak Grows the sacred golden bough Eternal life it will endow Deep in the grove she led her king-to-be Gave him a blade to cut the sacred mistletoe That climbed the branches of an oak And to its trunk with an iron yoke Was a madman shackled And as the fire crackled said she: "As winter's slain by spring King must be slain by king" This oak was struck by heaven's ire The golden bough houses its fire That must blaze on this midsummer's day And when the feast will end you'll see You must be shackled to this tree To guard it till another sets you free