In the Silent Night

In the Silent Night

When the songs of the night come to a halt,

Oh, my friend with tear-filled eyes,

Come down now –

To these sleepless eyelids.

Dew drops in the sky, flowers fall in the forest,

Tresses cascade over the bed of beauty;

Somewhere, someone holds their beloved close,

A meteor’s jewel falls from the heavens.

Tear-filled eyes, come down –

From the heart to these eyelids!

If you couldn't find them in tears, will you find them in laughter today?

How long will you keep deceiving yourself?

How long will you cover the endless void with mist?

If you’ve become a beggar, why then do you always return

To the darkness, away from every door?

You wander from path to path with your begging bowl,

Forgetting the palace where you intended to go?

Everyone knows your pain,

But only they do not know where your thorny wounds lie.

Oh, timid one, oh, proud one!

To whom you give everything, did you give them only words?

How much of your heartache has truly lessened with the intoxication of music?

How long will you hide these tears in the depths of song?

You keep weaving garlands, but for whom, no one knows!

You cast them into the abyss, and they float away into emptiness.

They alone did not understand, for whom all these garlands were made,

Your tear-filled eyes, your sleep-laden eyelids.

Who knows if tonight's dark night will pass,

Maybe your half-sung song will remain unsung tomorrow,

Maybe the words that blossom daily will remain unspoken!

Time is running out – evening shadows deepen!

Time is running out, let’s go now, lifting our eyes –

Oh dear, I must go, take this begging bowl of mine!

I’ve been to every door, except your place,

Never have I come with a beggar’s bowl.

The begging bowl is filled with jewels,

Yet my heart is not filled! Thus, with an empty heart,

I come today as a wanderer, oh king and queen,

I seek nothing! Don’t pull your veil over your face in shyness.

I've come just to tell you – in the throne of my heart,

Leaving every place behind – the one I secretly

Walked the forest path alone once,

With a heart full of words – and eyes full of tears.

I never reached out to them,

Trade doesn’t work with you in the market.

Some love pulls you home, others make you a beggar by neglect,

Throwing you far away!

I didn’t come to know if, in a fleeting moment,

You ever sat by that river’s edge,

Where the current’s pull –

Takes my boat into the distant emptiness.

I seek nothing, yet why does my heart ache,

I wander in search of happiness, yet can’t bear

This bittersweet sorrow anymore.…

I trampled myself, never trampled you,

I go now, leaving you indebted with my pain.

I gave everything away, never asked for anything in return!