A dear one chants upon the branch's height,At dawn, the song of freedom and of light.
He sings and fashions sweetness in the air,And tears the sanctity of darkness bare.
He shuns all chains, refuses tedium's hold,Revives in us both longing and hope bold.
Why wander, sovereign of the spacious sky,Companion of the heart, sweet voice on high?
There you hover near the clouds' domain,As though you sought the stars' embattled strain.
There you go free with wings unbound by care,Free at the dawn, free when the eve draws near.
There you soar above the bonds of earth,And grasp the secret of creation's birth.
Would that I knew—does Life herself declareThat you possess the wilderness's air?
How did she grant one solitary birdEternal song with sweetest notes conferred,
Yet hide from us existence's fair face,And veil from us eternity's embrace?
One meets the struggle of the Fates' decree,Another meets the verdict of mortality.
A third lives on with heart serene and pure,Another lives with soul content and sure.
You roam the expanses of the azure dome,Contending with the armies of the foam.
You live the life of gentle breeze and breath,Seeking the fount of living waters' wealth.
You beat with longing toward each cloud above,And in the sky find friendship, peace, and love.
Would I were like a bird that roams at will,That lives and thrives in paradise's thrill!
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