And wilt¹ thou, faithless one, then, leave me,

　　With all thy magic phantasy,——

　　With all the thoughts that joy or grieve me,

　　Wilt thou with all forever fly?

　　Can naught² delay thine onward³ motion,

　　Thou golden time of life's young dream?

　　In vain! eternity⁴'s wide ocean

　　Ceaselessly drowns thy rolling stream.

　　The glorious suns my youth enchanting⁵

　　Have set in never-ending night;

　　Those blest ideals now are wanting

　　That swelled⁷ my heart with mad delight.

　　The offspring of my dream hath perished,

　　My faith in being passed away;

　　The godlike hopes that once I cherish

　　Are now reality's sad prey⁸.

　　As once Pygmalion, fondly yearning⁹,

　　Embraced the statue formed by him,

　　Till the cold marble's cheeks were burning,

　　And life diffused¹⁰ through every limb,

　　So I, with youthful passion fired,

　　My longing¹¹ arms round Nature threw,

　　Till, clinging to my breast inspired,

　　She 'gan to breathe, to kindle¹² too.

　　And all my fiery¹³ ardor¹⁴ proving,

　　Though mute, her tale she soon could tell,

　　Returned each kiss I gave her loving,

　　The throbbings of my heart read well.

　　Then living seemed each tree, each flower,

　　Then sweetly sang the waterfall,

　　And e'en the soulless in that hour

　　Shared in the heavenly bliss¹⁵ of all.

　　For then a circling world was bursting

　　My bosom's narrow prison-cell,

　　To enter into being thirsting,

　　In deed, word, shape, and sound as well.

　　This world, how wondrous¹⁶ great I deemed it,

　　Ere yet its blossoms could unfold!

　　When open, oh, how little seemed it!

　　That little, oh, how mean and cold!

　　How happy, winged by courage daring,

　　The youth life's mazy path first pressed——

　　No care his manly¹⁷ strength impairing¹⁸,

　　And in his dream's sweet vision blest!

　　The dimmest star in air's dominion¹⁹

　　Seemed not too distant for his flight;

　　His young and ever-eager pinion²⁰

　　Soared far beyond all mortal sight.

　　Thus joyously²¹ toward heaven ascending²²,

　　Was aught for his bright hopes too far?

　　The airy guides his steps attending,

　　How danced they round life's radiant car!

　　Soft love was there, her guerdon bearing,

　　And fortune, with her crown of gold,

　　And fame, her starry²³ chaplet wearing,

　　And truth, in majesty²⁴ untold²⁵.

　　But while the goal was yet before them,

　　The faithless guides began to stray;

　　Impatience²⁶ of their task came o'er them,

　　Then one by one they dropped away.

　　Light-footed Fortune first retreating,

　　Then Wisdom's thirst remained unstilled,

　　While heavy storms of doubt were beating

　　Upon the path truth's radiance filled.

　　I saw Fame's sacred wreath adorning²⁷

　　The brows of an unworthy crew;

　　And, ah! how soon Love's happy morning,

　　When spring had vanished, vanished too!

　　More silent yet, and yet more weary,

　　Became the desert path I trod;

　　And even hope a glimmer²⁸ dreary²⁹

　　Scarce cast upon the gloomy road.

　　Of all that train, so bright with gladness,

　　Oh, who is faithful to the end?

　　Who now will seek to cheer my sadness,

　　And to the grave my steps attend?

　　Thou, Friendship, of all guides the fairest,

　　Who gently healest every wound;

　　Who all life's heavy burdens sharest,

　　Thou, whom I early sought and found!

　　Employment too, thy loving neighbor,

　　Who quells³⁰ the bosom's rising storms;

　　Who ne'er grows weary of her labor³¹,

　　And ne'er destroys, though slow she forms;

　　Who, though but grains of sand she places

　　To swell⁶ eternity sublime³²,

　　Yet minutes, days, ay! years effaces³³

　　From the dread³⁴ reckoning kept by Time!

　　席勒

　　你要不忠地跟我分离，

　　带走你的美妙的幻想，

　　你的痛苦和你的欢喜，

　　无情地跟我天各一方？

　　逝者啊，难道无可挽留，

　　哦，我一生的黄金时代？

　　突然伤逝，瞧你的奔流，

　　匆匆奔赴永恒的大海。

　　明朗的太阳已经落山，

　　曾把我青春之路照亮；

　　理想也已烟消云散，

　　曾使我陶醉的心欢畅；

　　对于梦想产生的实体，

　　我已失去可喜的信念，

　　过去理解为神圣美丽，

　　已被冷酷的现实摧毁。

　　就象从前皮格马利翁，

　　拥抱住石像，发出愿心，

　　等她冷冷的面颊绯红，

　　顽石终于涌现出感情，

　　我也怀着青春的遐想，

　　热情洋溢地拥抱自然，

　　等她靠着诗人的胸膛

　　开始呼吸而感到温暖，

　　分享我的如火的激情，

　　沉默的自然找到言辞，

　　回报我以热爱的亲吻，

　　了解我的内心的意思；

　　那时，由我生命的反响，

　　无灵魂者也有了感情，

　　我听到银泉淙淙地歌唱，

　　树木、蔷薇也栩栩如生。

　　临产的宇宙，正在拼命

　　扩张我的狭小的胸膛，

　　它要钻出来，获得生命、

　　活动、语言、形象和音响。

　　当它还处于含苞状态，

　　这个世界造型多伟大；

　　可是，它的花开了出来，

　　却是多么渺小而贫乏！

　　这个青年跳进了世途，

　　鼓起勇猛无畏的翅膀，

　　毫无束缚，无忧而无虑，

　　只陶醉于梦境的幻想。

　　他奋翅翱翔，大展鸿图，

　　飞近太空最淡的星边，

　　直达羽翼能飞到之处，

　　无法再高，也无法再远。

　　他扶摇直上，多么轻飘，

　　幸运儿还有什么困难！

　　快乐的旅伴翩翩舞蹈，

　　走在人生大车的前面！

　　幸福拿着金色的花环，

　　爱情带来可喜的酬赏，

　　荣誉捧着群星的冠冕，

　　真理映着灿烂的太阳。

　　可是，哎，刚刚走到半路，

　　这些旅伴就已经消失，

　　他们不忠地各自却步，

　　一个接一个背道而驰。

　　幸福轻捷地逃之夭夭，

　　求知欲无法如愿以偿，

　　怀疑的乌云油然涌到，

　　它们遮住真理的阳光。

　　看到荣誉的神圣花冠，

　　被庸人戴着，受到亵渎，

　　可叹春光是如此之短，

　　爱的良辰过得太迅速！

　　我在荒芜的路上逍遥，

　　越来越觉得寂寞荒凉；

　　昏暗的道路，再看不到

　　射出微弱的希望之光。

　　那些熙熙攘攘的旅伴，

　　有谁亲密地厮守着我？

　　有谁给我安慰和支援，

　　随我 同去冥府见阎罗？

　　温柔轻快的友谊之手，

　　你能把一切创伤治好，

　　你能分担人生的忧愁，

　　我早已寻你，将你找到。

　　还有你，你跟友谊交好，

　　象她一样，使心灵轻快，

　　工作啊，你不知道疲劳，

　　你慢慢完成，从不破坏，

　　你在建造永恒的宫殿，

　　虽是一粒一粒的聚沙，

　　却从时间的帐册里面，

　　划掉分秒、时日和年华。

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