Many thousands of stars are shining resplendently
in the sky, silent and beautiful,
and they awaken my desire
to go out into the fields.

Oh, eternally beautiful star,
eternally following the same course,
how much I always enjoy looking
up to your glowing light! - 

But listen! What a note is ringing in my ears!
But look! What a light is rising up there!
What blazing flames are flying up into the sky!
What beating together of battling embers there is!
What flashing around of glowing sparks there is!
What a roaring fight is reverberating in the air!

A majestic artistic performance has begun:
shining suns are spinning in a circle!
Like moons in silver splendour comes light
from brightly shining bullets in the darkness of the night;
in wonderfully changing colours appear
many fiery beams out of the cold earth;
the jumping jacks are spinning in a giddy fury,
there is a thundering glow from all sides;
rockets race up with a whizz
to extinguish the shimmering tail of the comet,
the proudly erect snakes spitting
brightly blazing fire up into the sky,
and then an army of sparks comes quaking
like falling stars sinking to earth.

And things change as an echo emerges
From the thunder of the cannon and the beating of the drums,
and loud amongst the earnest and delighted sounds
rings out the rejoicing of the astonished crowd.
In the sky the increasingly embarrassed host
of silent stars is no longer visible to anyone!
However, proudly onto the laurels awarded him steps
forward the artist, the one who had prepared it all;
and thousands pay homage to him, sincerely and freely,
raising a cry of jubilation to the hero of the day. - 

But it is soon over, the beautiful,
astonishing firework display;
the notes of jubilation are now silent;
the end point of this celebration was short.

And the hero, who proudly ignited
the splendour of a thousand bright flames,
goes away from there, and disappears
quietly into the darkness of a silent night.

Of those proud meteors
there remains not the slightest trace,
for they were a transitory game on the part of the fates,
their glow was only transitory.

But bright in the dark distance - 
simply embarrassed by this futile madness - 
the eternally beautiful stars follow
their course unchanged.

Their beautiful beaming crowns,
their unattainable quiet splendour
will, aeons from now, like today, 
continue to shed light into the darkness of night.

And stepping into their shimmering light
even then will come the son of dust,
who, in order to be delighted, will pray
before the throne of the eternal spirit.

The splendours of earth and heaven declare:
"All human works will pass away!
Heroes and meteors will disappear!
Only what is divine will remain!"