Far, far from distant times,
From the green wilderness of youth
I am greeted in joy and in sorrow
By a wondrous image.
  Well do I know
  The glow of the lips
  That were wont to exchange caresses with me,
  The eyes so lovely,
  The gold of the curls,
  The pale roses of the cheeks.
For though in strife and pain
No breath of youth remain:
Never does the heart forget 
The dream of first love.

Long after the day's strife,
When the stars come aglow in their clarity,
First love accompanies me faithfully
In all nearness and distance.
  When at night I lay
  Keeping watch,
  It stood with me at the fire,
  I travelled onward
  Over the blue ocean
  And saw it resting at the helm.
For though in strife and pain
No breath of youth remain:
Never does the heart forget 
The dream of first love.

As quietly as a shy child
Thus does first love gaze at me through tears,
Gently it wishes to lean
Its curls against my shoulder.
  It beckons so lovingly,
  It sings so gloomily
  Of times that have passed;
  Thereupon my spirit melts
  Away in homesickness,
  I am ensnared forevermore.
For though in strife and pain
No breath of youth remain:
Never does the heart forget 
The dream of first love.