Der König in Thule Lyrics

There was a king in Thule,
So faithful to the grave.
His love, when she was dying,
A goblet of gold him gave.
He used to love it deeply,
And always drank from it.
His eyes they filled with tears
Whenever he emptied it.

And when his time to die came
He counted all his wealth,
And everything gave to his heirs,
But only kept that cup.
He sat at the royal banquet,
With all his knights around,
In his forefathers' lofty hall
There in his castle by the sea.

There stood the old carouser,
And drank life's final glow,
Then threw the holy goblet far
Deep down into the waves.
He watched it fall, and drinking
It sank deep into the sea.
He closed his eyes forever,
And never drank a drop more.