"Do you know, my brothers, what sound is this?"
And they answered, "We have heard a faint, fearful voice, but we know not what it is."
"This is the voice of the Christian bell," said Finola; "and now the end of our suffering is near; for this bell is the signal that we shall soon be freed from our spell, and released from our life of suffering; for God has willed it."
And she chanted this lay—
Listen, ye swans, to the voice of the bell,
The sweet bell we've dreamed of for many a year;
Its tones floating by on the night breezes, tell
Listen, ye swans, to the heavenly strain;
'Tis the anchoret tolling his soft matin bell:
He has come to release us from sorrow, from pain,
From the cold and tempestuous shores where we dwell!
Trust in the glorious Lord of the sky;
He will free us from Eva's druidical spell:
Be thankful and glad, for our freedom is nigh,
And listen with joy to the voice of the bell!
Then her brothers became calm; and the four swans remained listening to the music of the bell, till the cleric had finished his matins.
"Let us sing our music now," said Finola.