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?