• Once upon a time, in a land far away,
    at a lake where the reeds sway
    Lived a duckling who watched the sky above
    Dreaming of a pure and beautiful love.

    Then, one day, a boy came,
    Causing everything to never be the same.
    He would come by the lakeside and then he would sing
    a beautiful song and his voice would ring
    through the treetops and meadow grass,
    a voice that could charm a fair lass.

    This duckling would listen to the sweet sound of his voice,
    wishing that she could have had the choice
    to choose who she would have been at birth,
    To be not a duck, but a girl full of laughter and mirth.
    Each day she would listen to his song,
    wanting desperately to sing along.

    Then one day, the boy came not,
    and the duckling, realizing that he was the love she sought,
    Prayed to the moon that this one wish come true,
    "Make me a girl, a human through and through;
    I could find the boy and we could live happily together...
    Please, let me have soft skin instead of these feathers!"
    A cackle was heard, and the duck turned her head
    And saw an old woman with a bag clad in red.
    "Perhaps I could help," said the old hag,
    "I have the potion you desire tucked away in my bag~♪"
    The old lady searched, and found what she needed,
    And gave a drought to the duck to grant her what she pleaded.

    The duck then transformed and, to her own surprise,
    became a fair maiden with dark hair and blue eyes.
    She wore a dress as soft as down,
    and had a smile that knew no frown.
    "Now that you have become human, you may find your heart's treasure...
    However," warned the hag, "if he does not kiss you, use this so he may sleep forever!"
    She handed to her a dagger, and wished her luck.
    Then off hurried the maiden who was once a duck.

    But, once she found the boy, she became saddened at the sight
    of him holding the hand of a maid with eyes so bright.
    She heard him express feelings of true love to this one girl,
    And felt the harsh reality of the situation begin to unfurl.
    The duck-turned-maid knew that she had to end his life,
    for those words were not for her, nor was she to be his wife.
    However, the duck felt it was unfair to kill this lad,
    for if she did not only would she suffer, but his love would be truly sad.
    Instead, the maiden made the choice
    to let the two lovers be happy and rejoice.

    She walked to the lakeside, fully aware
    that her love was unrequited, but she did not care.
    "To have known and loved him as a duck," she said with a smile so sad,
    "is better to not have loved him at all, and for that I am glad."
    She threw the dagger and it plunged into the center of the lake.
    "I shall end my own life... for my love's sake."
    She dove into the lake and vanished, never to breathe again.
    This was the tale of the duck, who loved until the very end.