Time goes by, time comes
along,
All is old and all is
new;
What is right and what
is wrong,
You must think and ask
of you;
Have no hope and have
no fear,
Waves that rise can never
hold;
If they urge or if they
cheer,
You remain aloof and
cold.
To our sight a lot will glisten,
Many sounds will reach our
ear;
Who could take the time
to listen
And remember all we hear?
Keep aside from all that
patter,
Seek yourself, far from
the throng
When with loud and idle
clatter
Time goes by, time comes
along.
Nor forget the tongue of
reason
Or its even scales depress
When the moment, changing
season,
Wears the mask of happiness
-
It is born of reason's slumber
And may last a wink as true:
For the one who knows its
number
All is old and all is
new.
Be as to a play, spectator,
As the world unfolds before:
You will know the heart
of matter
Should they act two parts
or four;
When they cry or tear asunder
From your seat enjoy along
And you'll learn from art
to wonder
What is right and what
is wrong.
Past and future, ever blending,
Are the twin sides of same
page:
New start will begin with
ending
When you know to learn from
age;
All that was or be tomorrow
We have in the present,
too;
But what's vain and futile
sorrow
You must think and ask
of you;
For the living cannot sever
From the means we've always
had:
Now, as years ago, and ever,
Men are happy or are sad:
Other masks, same play repeated;
Diff'rent tongues, same
words to hear;
Of your dreams so often
cheated,
Have no hope and have
no fear.
Hope not when the villains
cluster
By success and glory drawn:
Fools with perfect lack
of luster
Will outshine Hyperion!
Fear it not, they'll push
each other
To reach higher in the fold,
Do not side with them as
brother,
Waves that rise can never
hold.
Sounds of siren songs call
steady
Toward golden nets, astray;
Life attracts you into eddies
To change actors in the
play;
Steal aside from crowd and
bustle,
Do not look, seem not to
hear
From your path, away from
hustle,
If they urge or if they
cheer;
If they reach for you, go
faster,
Hold your tongue when slanders
yell;
Your advice they cannot
master,
Don't you know their measure
well?
Let them talk and let them
chatter,
Let all go past, young and
old;
Unattached to man or matter,
You remain aloof and
cold.
You remain aloof and cold
If they urge or if they
cheer;
Waves that rise can never
hold,
Have no hope and have
no fear;
You must think and ask
of you
What is right and what
is wrong;
All is old and all is
new,
Time goes by, time comes
along. |
|
Vreme
trece, vreme vine,
Toate-s
vechi si noua toate;
Ce
e rau si ce e bine
Tu
te-ntreaba si socoate;
Nu
spera si nu ai teama,
Ce
e val, ca valul trece;
De
te-ndeamna, de te cheama'
Tu
ramii la toate rece.
Multe
trec pe dinainte,
In
auz ne suna multe,
Cine
tine toate minte
Si
ar sta sa le asculte?...
Tu
aseaza-te deoparte,
Regasindu-te
pe tine,
Cind
cu zgomote desarte
Vreme
trece, vreme vine.
Nici
incline a ei limba
Recea
cumpan-a gindirii
Inspre
clipa ce se schimba
Pentru
masca fericirii,
Ce
din moartea ei se naste
Si
o clipa tine poate;
Pentru
cine o cunoaste
Toate-s
vechi si noua toate.
Privitor
ca la teatru
Tu
in lume sa te-nchipui;
Joace
unul si pe patru,
Totusi
tu ghici-vei chipu-i,
Si
de plinge, de se cearta,
Tu
in colt petreci in tine
Si-ntelegi
din a lor arta
Ce
e rau si ce e bine.
Viitorul
si trecutul
Sunt
a filei doua fete,
Vede-n
capat inceputul
Cine
stie sa le-nvete;
Tot
ce-a fost ori o sa fie
In
prezent le-avem pe toate
Dar
de-a lor zadarnicie
Te
intreaba si socoate.
Caci
acelorasi mijloace
Se
supun cite exista,
Si
de mii de ani incoace
Lumea-i
vesela si trista;
Alte
masti, aceeasi piesa,
Alte
guri, aceeasi gama,
Amagit
atit de-adese
Nu
spera si nu ai teama.
Nu
spera cind vezi miseii
La
izbinda facind punte,
Te-or
intrece nataraii,
De
ai fi cu stea in frunte;
Teama
n-ai, cata-vor iarasi
Intre
dinsii sa se plece,
Nu
te prinde lor tovaras:
Ce
e val, ca valul trece.
Cu
un cintec de sirena,
Lumea-ntinde
lucii mreje;
Ca
sa schimbe-actorii-n scena,
Te
momeste in virteje;
Tu
pe-alaturi te stercoara,
Nu
baga nici chiar de seama,
Din
cararea ta afara
De
te-ndeamna, de te cheama.
De
te-ating, sa feri in laturi,
De
hulesc, sa taci din gura;
Ce
mai vrei cu-a tale sfaturi
Daca
stii a lor masura;
Zica
toti ce-or vrea sa zica,
Treaca-n
lume cine-o trece;
Ca
sa nu-ndragesti nimica,
Tu
ramii la toate rece.
Tu
ramii la toate rece,
De
te-ndeamna, de te cheama;
Ce
e val, ca valul trece,
Nu
spera si nu ai teama;
Tu
te-ntreaba si socoate
Ce
e rau si ce e bine;
Toate-s
vechi si noua toate:
Vreme
trece, vreme vine. |
|
Days
go past and days come still,
All
is old and all is new,
What
is well and what is ill,
You
imagine and construe:
Do
not hope and do not fear,
Waves
that leap like waves must fall;
Should
they praise or should they jeer,
Look
but coldly on it all.
Things
you'll meet of many a kind,
Sights
and sounds, and tales no end,
But
to keep them all in mind
Who
would bother to attend?..
Very
little does it matter,
If
you can yourself fulfil,
That
with idle, empty chatter
Days
go past and days come still.
Little
heed the lofty ranging
That
cold logic does display
To
explain the endless changing
Of
this pagentry of joy,
And
which out of death is growing
But
to last an hour or two:
For
the mind profoundly knowing
All
is old and all is new.
As
before some troupe of actors
You
before the world remain;
Act
they Gods, or malefactors,
'Tis
but they dressed up again.
And
their loving and their slaying,
Sit
apart and watch until
You
will see behind their playing
What
is well and what is ill.
What
has been and what will be
Are
but of a page each part
Which
the world to read is free,
Yet
who knows them off by heart?
All
that was and is to come
Prospers
in the present too,
But
its narrow modicum
You
imagine and construe.
With
the selfsame scales and gauges
This
great universe to weight
Man
has been for thousand ages
Sometimes
sad and sometimes gay;
Ohter
masks, the same old story,
Players
pass and reappear,
Broken
promises of glory;
Do
not hope and do not fear.
Do
not hope when greed is staring
O'er
the brigde that luck has flung,
These
are fools for not despairing,
On
their brows though stars are hung;
Do
not fear if one or other
Does
his comrades deep enthrall,
Do
not let him call you brother,
Waves
that leap like waves must fall.
Like
the sirens' silver singing
Men
spread nets to catch their prey,
Up
and down the curtain swinging
Midst
a whirlwind of display.
Leave
them room without resistance,
Nor
their commentaries cheer,
Hearing
only from the distance
Should
they praise or should they jeer.
If
they touch you, do not tarry,
Should
they curse you, hold your toungue,
All
you counsel must micarry
Knowing
who you are among.
Let
them muse aand let them mingle,
Let
them pass both great and small:
Unattached
and calm and single,
Look
but coldly on it all.
Look
but coldly on it all,
Should
they praise or should they jeer;
Waves
that leap like waves must fall,
Do
not hope and do not fear.
You
imagine and construe
What
is well and what is ill;
All
is old and all is new,
Days
go past and days come still. |
|
