Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Farewell

This post is dedicated to my Brazilian friends: Eduardo Nasi, The Jeca, and Ricardo Pilla -- and the ever-beautiful Carolzinha.

The sun departs behind the mountains. In all the valleys, evening descends with its cooling shadows. O look! Like a silver boat, the moon floats on the blue sky-lake above.

I feel the fine wind wafting behind the dark spruce. The brook sings loudly through the darkness. The flowers stand out palely in the twilight. The earth breathes, full of peace and sleep, and all yearning wishes to dream now.

Weary men go home, to learn in sleep forgotten happiness and youth. The birds crouch silently in their branches. The world is asleep! It blows coolly in the shadows of my spruce.

I stand here and wait for my friend; I wait to bid him a last farewell. I yearn, my friend, at your side to enjoy the beauty of this evening. Where do you tarry? You leave me alone for so long! I wander up and down with my lute, on paths swelling with soft grass.

O beauty! O eternal love - eternal, love-intoxicated world!

He dismounted and handed him the drink of parting. He asked him where he would go, and also why it must be. He spoke, his voice was choked: My friend, on this earth, fortune has not been kind to me! Where do I go? I will go, wander in the mountains. I seek peace for my lonely heart. I wander to find my homeland, my home. I will never stray to foreign lands. Quiet is my heart, waiting for its hour!

2 comments:

My Daily Struggles said...

An ancient Chinese poem.

Anonymous said...

Mong Kao Yen i think? i think i saw it somewhere on the internet some time ago

i have yet to find time to read your email on that psychoanalysis paper you sent me. its a hard subject for me, so it will take time for me to understand