The trees blossomed brightly; then I was drawn to leave my house
To wander through mountain and valley far out into the land.
That is the time when love wafts through all the leas,
And when one's heart is opened to it like the blossom bud!

And as I strode vigorously through all the glory,
And winds and clouds merrily accompanied me:
Nimbly to my mind came the thought that the goal of my journey today
Might be to wherever among humankind I should find the highest love!

And joyfully I travelled onward in the hot beams of the sun,
Then in the green valley a shiny little house beckoned to me;
Quite weary and thirsty I stepped in through the low door:
Madam Innkeeper, quickly, Madam Innkeeper, some of your lightest wine!

Lo! two lads, brown and brisk, sat with their glasses
And looked so sadly into each other's eyes over the table,
And quietly sang a little song for the last farewell:
Adieu, adieu, brother of my heart! adieu, fare thee well!

And as now their hot tears fell into the glasses,
I thought: Soon I shall have found the goal of my journey!
Who holds together unto death more firmly than friends?
May anyone prove themselves more faithful in joy and misery?

Thereupon, when the two had left, my little bottle was also empty,
And my heart still wished to wander farther:
For more sweetly in springtime than all clinking of glasses
Sounds the birds' song of praise from the bright, blossoming tree.

Many an hour later I was far from the valley,
Already upon the clear sky the evening star appeared:
Oh joy, oh joy to wander along through the springtime night,
When round about the blackbirds sing and the scents awaken sweetly!

Then by the linden tree I heard a rustling nearby,
Under it two sat caressing each other in a blissful dream of love:
When, singing, every birdlet builds his nest in the shrubbery,
Those are the best days to kiss your fiancée!

Ah! I thought: After all, love blossoms most beautifully upon earth
When it comes aglow in a young heart for the first time!
And smiling I offered my cheerful greeting to the two,
And, singing, I turned my feet, weary with wandering, homeward.

A thousand stars now sparkled before me upon the sky,
Many a weary person might already be resting in his first slumber,
Then my last path led me yet through a little village,
Which lay so still and peaceful in the blossoming close.

And all around everything was dark; only through a little window
The faint glow of a lamp came from a poor cottage;
And as I passed and looked into the chamber,
What a scene of deepest pain, oh God! did I see there!

A dear mother, so anxious and deathly pale, still sat alone
At the cradle of her sick child, praying.
I myself suddenly felt a tear in my eye,
And in parting I whispered, most solemnly and deeply moved:

Blessed was my wandering! In the last hour yet,
God graciously let the highest love be made known to me!
There is now truly no need for more seeking:
What can equal a mother's heart in faithfulness unto death?