«When I await her at the midnight hour / Then life appears to hang by slender strand. / Who cares for honour, youth or freedom’s power / When piping guest arrives with flute in hand? / And here she is – from cloak now extricated, / Attentively on me she casts her eye. / I say: “Was ...»
«When at night I await the beloved guest, / Life seems to hang by a thread. “What is youth?” I demand / Of the room. “What is honor, freedom, the rest, / In the Presence of her who holds the flute in her hand?” But now she is here. Tossing aside her veil, / She considers me. “...»
«The Muse my sister looked in my face, / her gaze was bright and clear, / and she took away my golden ring, / the gift of the virginal year. Muse! everyone else is happy — / girls, wives, widows — all around! / I swear I’d rather die on the rack / than live fettered and bound. In...»
«Quand, dans la nuit, j'attends sa visite, / Ma vie semble arrêtée. Et, vraiment, / Que sont honneurs, jeunesse ou liberté / Devant cette amie si chère qui tient une flûte! / Voilà, elle entre. Elle rejette son voile / Et me regarde longuement. / Je dis: "Est-ce toi qui as dicté au...»