You greet us with a friendly welcome
And care for us with faithful hand,
And do not ask us, from where we come,
From which valley, from which country?
 
How the delicate plant embryo is shaped
With every newly-awakened year,
How the blossom unfolds,
Has not yet been revealed to anyone.
 
Deep within secret-laden silence
We rest in lonely dark night,
And our firmly-closed casing
May only be opened by the power of Heaven.
 
When the beams of the sun touch us,
We feel so cramped within the cool abode,
And the sun’s bright messengers lead
Us out into joyous life.
 
Thus also love, like the flower,
Who can tell whence it arises?
Deep within the sanctuary of the heart
It awaits the young day.
 
When for us morning has broken
From a pair of eyes beloved and gentle,
May yearning all-powerfully compel us
Until the holy wish is granted.
 
The flowers shall be scattered by the storm,
If the sun’s light cannot safeguard them;
Ah! thus the heart must also perish
If it is denied the comfort of love.