"It may be too," thought he further, "that he is expecting news from
the Springs of the Nile; or that some magician from Lapland is paying
him a visit; me it behooves to set diligently about my task." And
with this, he began studying the foreign characters in the roll of
parchment.
The strange music of the garden sounded over to him and encircled him
with sweet lovely odors; the mocking-birds too he still heard chirping
and twittering, but could not distinguish their words--a thing which
greatly pleased him. At times also it was as if the emerald leaves of
the palm-trees were rustling, and as if the clear crystal tones, which
Anselmus on that fateful Ascension-day had heard under the elder-bush,
were beaming and flitting through the room. Wonderfully strengthened
by this shining and tinkling, the student Anselmus directed his eyes
and thoughts more and more intensely on the superscription of the
parchment roll; and ere long he felt, as it were from his inmost soul,
that the characters could denote nothing else than these words: _Of
the marriage of the Salamander with the green Snake_. Then resounded
a louder triphony of clear crystal bells; "Anselmus! dear Anselmus!"
floated to him from the leaves; and, O wonder! on the trunk of the
palm-tree the green Snake came winding down.
"Serpentina! Serpentina!" cried Anselmus, in the madness of highest
rapture; for as he gazed more earnestly, it was in truth a lovely,
glorious maiden that, looking at him with those dark-blue eyes, full
of inexpressible longing, as they lived in his heart, was hovering
down to meet him.
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