Rattenkönig

Plague times and wind of putrefaction
Gutter belching rats by millions
Brutal wave of squeaking vermin
Babies devoured in their cradle
Rats seemed to come all from the same place
A putrid forgotten gutter's bowel
And in the middle of the nest
Something as a crown
A crown made of rats all linked by the tail

One day a stranger came with odd tongue and red eyes
His little rat's eyes were shining with malicious intelligence
Strangely looking
Breeding distrust
Covered with rats' furs
Greasy whiskers like rat's tails over his buck-like yellow teeth
Deeply cold and malevolent hawking the plague message
Stench of death and gutter smell follow his ugly path
He seemed to be the only one not affected by the rats
Some said they saw him speak with rats
He who came from nowhere

Soon people asked for help to him
Ready to give the few they had
The deal was clear he would get out the rats for free
The condition is that he takes one child with him
But none of the yokels wanted any child to sacrifice
They decided another way to break the deal and never pay

Just let him kill the rats and we won't give anyone
They said agreed and gave him their word
He looked at them and he promised at dawn rats would be gone
At night the villager hardly slept bitten by remorse
Surrounded by the sound of his flute
Monotonous and sullen
The stranger walked calmly
His music following him in the night
And the rats followed him near the lake
Gazing at his complaint
Trustful they all understood and accepted what he silently said
The procession disappeared in the deep waters and none saw them again
And the morning after when he asked for the child
None wanted to give his son
Their plan was running on

The rats were gone but the villagers expelled him with no child
With the acid smile of betrayal on their hypocrite faces
At night a feeble melody of sick complaint pierced the silence
The stranger walked calmly surrounded by the sound of his flute
And all the children followed him near the lake
Gazing at his eyes
Trustful they all understood and accepted what he silently said
And the children broke the circle to walk to the silver lake
The procession disappeared in the deep waters and none saw them again