Be still, my heart

I once harbored hope deep in my breast

Which, trusting, unlocked to her;

My eyes were radiant with joie de vivre

While her magic encircled me.

But when I harkened to her beguiling voice

The echo died away in the storm.

Be still, my heart, and give it no thought:

This now is reality, the rest was delusion.

Earth lay before me in a spring dream

Suffused with warmth and light,

And drunk with joy I wafted through space,

Blossoms burst forth from my breast;

Love's springtime awakened in me.

Now frost shudders through me; in my soul it is night.

Be still, my heart, and give it no thought:

This now is reality, the rest was delusion.

Out of sunshine and flowers I built myself

A bridge through life

Passing over which, laurel-crowned,

I devoted myself to the noblest of strivings.

Man's gratitude was my finest reward;

The crowd laughs aloud now with impudent scorn.

Be still, my heart, and give it no thought:

This now is reality, the rest was delusion.