“Moowis, Moowis,” she cried. “Nin ge won e win ig, ne won e win ig”—that is—Moowis, Moowis, you have led me astray—you are leading me astray. And with this cry she continued to wander in the woods.
Sometimes the village girls repeat the above words, varying the expressions, till they constitute an irregular kind of song, which, according to the versions of a friendly hand, may be set down as follows:—
Moowis! Moowis! Forest rover,—— Where art thou? Ah my bravest, gayest lover, Guide me now.
Moowis! Moowis! Ah believe me, List my moan, Do not—do not, brave heart, leave me All alone.
Moowis! Moowis! Foot-prints vanished, Whither wend I, Fated, lost, detested, banished, Must I die.
Moowis! Moowis! Whither goest, Eye-bright lover, Ah thou ravenous bird that knowest, I see you hover.
Circling—circling, As I wander, But to spy Where I fall, and then to batten, On my breast.