Once a dark horseman oh a black horse came
He was clad in a black velvet cloak, full of pride.
And his look was so dreadful, as a town aflame,
And so glaring as a flash in the night.

Curly hair upon shoulders like serpents did twist,
And his voice was a song of the earth and  flame;
He has sung a ballad to young noble kings
And those kings heard the ballad with shame.

«Lucifer had given to me five strong horses,
And one ring, made of gold, with a big ruby stone,
And I saw the depth of caves under earth,
And the young face of luxuriant valleys I've known.

I was brought the wine — fire, flowing free,
by the Fairy of Hills and a dwarf mighty king,
Then I saw the Sun brightly shining for me,
It was sparkling like a ruby of my golden ring.

And I knew the delight of the created days,
Heard the blossoming hymn the World Priest did sing,
I was laughing when saw my steeds flounce away
And was glad, watching light playing over my ring.

There, at height of the Reason reign madness and frost,
My delight burnt the sky like a glowing beam,
To the height of the Reason I drove my horses
And I saw there a maiden as ill as a dream.

Voice of her was unloud quavering of strings,
In her eyes interwove the beauty and haze,
And to this Moonlight Virgin I gifted my ring
For a pale spectral tint of her scattered braids.

And despairing me now, of all fools the worst,
Lucifer fogged my eyes with the shadows' veil;
Lucifer gave to me the final, sixth horse,
And Despair was his name, as cruel as Hell.»