Let the names of flowery cities
Caress the ear with fleeting glory —
It is not Rome the city that’s immortal,
But man’s presence in the universe.
Kings try to get man in their power,
Priests find excuses for their wars,
And yet without him hearths and altars
Like wretched rubble are beneath contempt.
Пусть имена цветущих городов
Ласкают слух значительностью бренной.
Не город Рим живет среди веков,
А место человека во вселенной.
Им овладеть пытаются цари,
Священники оправдывают войны,
И без него презрения достойны,
Как жалкий сор, дома и алтари.
«Eternity knows neither kith nor kin. / The pangs of birth and death she's never known, / While Time, her younger sister, unlike her / Has countless sons and daughters of her own. The centuries bring forth new life — and pass. / Each day, each year, each hour brings fruit untried; / Whil...»
«For four years on end / Immortal was I. / For four years on end / Light-hearted was I. / For I never knew I would die one fine day, / For I never knew I would not live for aye. You who know how to make life sweet and pleasant, / Like children, immortal — believe not in death; / Deat...»
«Stirred by the first faint ice-free pulse, / The forest, grumbling, clings to winter's sleep / But spring's own pearls, strung onto threads of green / Quiver with life at every breath of wind. Like tender human babe in swaddling clothes / The newborn nestled in her funneled leaf, / And no...»
«On every clock this message you can find — / Its simple words a truth profound contains — / Who squanders time, casts honour to the wind, / Though Time expires, your conscience will remain. It dwells within the soul, not heeding hours; / Repentance always comes a bit too late, / While...»