Twilight drains the light from day,
Fading brilliant hues to gray.
Night arrives as twilight leaves,
Night is for lovers; night is for thieves.

Shadows hide a hunter’s trail.
Bringing home a brace of quail,
Tired and lost, he stops to rest,
Dropping his head upon his chest.

The town nearby is wrapped in mist.
Two young lovers plan a tryst.
Defying parents, they plan to steal
Away from home, their love to seal.

Lost in trees, the hunter sleeps.
In sleeping town, each lover creeps
Down parents’ stairs and out the door,
Meeting on the forest floor.

In forest dark they quietly stepped,
Stopping where the hunter slept;
Lying near an old oak tree,
Lovers embraced, wild and free.

Dreaming of bears, the hunter wakes,
Hearing a noise, his shotgun takes,
Shoots a blast that finds its mark,
Splattering blood on oak tree bark.

Fearing attack, the hunter flees,
Running for home, dodging trees,
Never looking back toward
The bloody scene upon the sward.

Day returns, the village wakes.
Empty beds! A panic breaks!
All will look, but no one sees –
Searching begins among the trees.

Bodies are found, the villagers weep.
Lovers embraced in eternal sleep –
Lives were stolen, village grieves.
Night is for lovers, night is for thieves.