Hölderlin

When I was a boy ...

When I was a boy
   A god would often save me
      From the scolding and switches of men,
         And I would play safely and beautifully
            With the flowers of the grove,
               And heaven's soft breezes
                  Played with me.

And as you delight
The hearts of the flowers
When they extend
Their tender arms to you

You delighted my heart,
Father Helios! and, like Endymion,
I was your favorite,
Holy Luna!

O all you faithful
Friendly gods!
If only you knew
How my soul loved you!

Then I did not call you
By your names, and you
Did not call me as men do,
As if they knew each other.

But I knew you better
Than I've ever known mankind,
I understood the silence of the sky,
But never men's words.

I was raised by the melody
Of the murmurming grove
And to love I learned
Among flowers.

I grew up in the arms of the gods.

 Then and now

In my youth I enjoyed the morning
   And wept at night; now that I'm older
      My day begins with doubt but
         Its end is sacred and serene.