Wild Black Rose

If I were a dungeon
Up from the stony ground
Wild black roses
Would grow for you to take

If I were a resident
Ghost from the ages
I would haunt you with dreams
Of infernal love affairs

If I were a vampire
I'd give you the life-blood
Of souls that have fallen
Under my darkened skies

And if I were a werewolf
I'd bring you a black rose
Then place it beside you
And watch you with my night-eyes

Maiden, Maiden,
let down your hair
The darkness embraces your
Fragrance in the air

Maiden, Maiden,
like a Full Moon so fair
Let me take a wild black rose
To tie around your hair

If I were a flying-fox
I'd ascend to your dwelling
And give you the roots from
An underground rose-bed

And if I were the demon-kind
I'd rise from your fire place
And waltz you until the sunrise
Sends me back there once again

If I were a deadly snake
I'd slide you a single stem
Of a rare and pretty flower
To match your rare and pretty face

And if I were a wild-beast
From a far and distant fairy-tale
I'd kneel to you a black rose
From a far and distant land

Maiden, Maiden,
the night-time needs you
Evergreens bow down
As you walk through the graves

Maiden, Maiden,
Goddess sent you
A friend of the black wolves
And a lover of them too…

If I were a spider
I'd spin you a silk rose
And weave a garden-web for your dress
And a high crown for you to wear

If I were a common crow
I'd pluck you fresh branches
Wild blackberry boughs
To choke around your neck

If I were a native-cat
I'd give you my many lives
And the furs of a hundred mice
The winter-shawl above your breast

And if I were a plague-rat
I’d search the whole countryside
Until I find for you the ring
To make you rule over all

Maiden, Maiden,
let the beauty you share
Fill the evening with spices
And the day with fruit-filled air

Maiden, Maiden,
like the Dark Moon so young
Everpresent but never seen
Black Rose forevermore