Let the Boat Go… (Hatzopoulos)
Let the Boat Go…, by Kostes Hatzopoulos (1869-1920)
Let the boat go where it will on the wave,
let the breeze steer rudder and sail.
Spread the wings wide, the earth has no end;
unknown shores are always beautiful.
Life is a dew-drop, a wave, let the breeze
carry the boat where it will, where it knows.
Let prairie scenes turn to forests and rocks,
let towers, the smoke of the hunt pass before you.
Whether nature spreads a laughing idyll before you,
or heaven hangs out its thunder or storms,
do not think you can hold the sail fast to the course–
you will anchor with the wave, wherever it wills.
Do you yourself now what you want and are seeking?
Have you ever caught what you ahve hunted?
Do you not reap ill for the good that you sow?
Do you not stumble even phrasing a a query?
Is yours the cunning, is yours the ffort
that has led you astray, that has cheated you?
Then let the wave break where it will,
let dizziness lead your heart blindly,
and though clouds may gather, though winds may moan,
the sun on some shore must be smiling
and if bitter tears spray your heart,
know that somewhere a hidden joy awaits it.
(Trans. by Rae Dalven)