1
From the wondrous days, azure and clear,
As beautiful as you, my dear friend,
Now—alas!—the last day
Has reached its weary end;
The earth has changed her appearance,
The Heavens are shrouded in dense shadow.
Rise, my spirit, shake off your drowsiness,
Make haste to carry out
Your habitual work
And write an epitaph—
To the beautiful days forever lost,
To the captivating and clear dreams.

2
The pine forest slept above the sea,
The waters sang in quiet tones;
The storm was slumbering in the sky,
As though in a gentle cradle.
The clouds were playing, and with the wave
Another wave, half-asleep, was whispering;
And over the sea’s depths
The azure of the Heavens was smiling.
It seemed as if this peaceful hour
Was sent to us by Gods from on high,
And eternal paradise shone down
Upon us with celestial rays.

3
The pines embraced each other,
Crushed by the winds;
Their branches, intertwined like snakes,
Were bending over us.
The barely audible breath of the breeze
Caressed us,
Rushing to us from afar,
Like someone’s whispering.
But the pines slept in a deep sleep,
Without dreams and without motion,
Like at the bottom of the sea
Sleep the underwater plants.

4
How quiet everything is! Not a sigh, not a sound
Disturbs the peace,
[...
...]
The soundless world, and silence all around,
And the dreams of our souls,
And the forest, embraced by sweet sleep,
[...]
Merged into one magical circle—
The peaks of misty mountains,
Flowers, fields, and you, my friend,
With the surge of cherished thoughts.
And the darkness yielded to the light
Before the happiness of awareness,
That you existed in this world,
O tender being!

5
And long we stood, our gaze cast down,
Beneath the pines,
Looking into the depths of forest lakes,
Where the heavens shone,
Full of radiant fire,
As though someone’s eyes,
Brighter than a cloudless day
And deeper than black night.
And the forest appeared in the watery abyss:
Interlaced with branches,
And there below were visible to us
Mysterious colours—
Created by the love of the wave,
An Eden of innocent tenderness;
It was the mute charm
Of quiet, shining streams,
It was Nature’s kiss,
The merging of all her powers.
But the wind gushed in through the silence,
The reflections vanished,
Like the soul’s best dream of paradise
Before the ghost of doubt.
Though Shelley’s grieving soul
Is carefree but for a moment,
But, may you be forever fair,
As the forest is forever beautiful.