At Midnight (Ballade) Poem by Gert Strydom

(in answer to C. M. van der Heever)

In ancient times a woman told a story at a fire,
a fantasy tale in the midnight hour
where some of the men laughed at her
but one did look deep into the red flaming coals.

Chorus:
If a man at exactly midnight
yearns terribly for a woman
and at a certain place go to the beach
the seals will astonish him.

In drunkenness at another time she said
that only the bravest hero does not agitate the seals
and that he will find a lovely woman on the beach
where the story again did amuse the men

but there was one that did not laugh at her
and night after night patiently did wait
to find out about the right beach
and he was careful of the other men.

One night at midnight in the moonshine
the bravest hero did disappear without a trace
and went to the beach to wait on the seals
to appear out of the waves with their shiny bodies

and he was totally astounded as his thoughts were going mad
as the most beautiful women did disguise themselves in seal-skins
where he noticed them dancing around in the moonlight
and the most pretty suddenly did notice him and came straight to him.

[Reference:"Wie om twaalfuur snags"(Who at twelve o'clock in the evening)by C. M. van der Heever.]