He, the noblest of all men,
How gentle, how good!
Such tender lips, such clear eyes,
Bright mind and steadfast heart.
As in the deep blue distance
That star shines, bright and high,
So he stands in my heaven,
Brilliant, distant, glorious.
Move, move along your orbit;
I only gaze upon your light,
Gaze in humbleness upon you,
Blessed and sorrowful at once.
Do not hear my quiet prayer,
Offered only to your joy;
You must not know me, lowly maiden —
O great star of glory!
Only the most worthy of all
Should be chosen by your heart,
And I will bless that fortunate one,
Bless her a thousand thousand times.
Then I shall rejoice and weep,
Blessed, so blessed shall I be —
Even should my heart be breaking,
Break then, heart — what does it matter!

I cannot grasp it, cannot believe it —
A dream has stolen over me;
How could he, of all men,
Have lifted me, poor thing, to bliss?
I thought I heard him say:
I am yours forever —
I thought — I am still dreaming,
It cannot possibly be so.
Oh, let me die in that dream,
Cradled against his breast,
Let me drink the most blessed death
In tears of boundless joy.

Ring upon my finger,
My little golden ring,
I press you tenderly to my lips,
Tenderly to my heart.
The dream of childhood had been dreamed —
That peaceful, innocent dream —
I had found myself alone and lost In the empty, endless space.
Ring upon my finger,
You first taught me truly:
You opened to my eyes
The infinite worth of life.
I will serve him, live for him,
Belong to him entirely,
Give myself and find myself
Transfigured in his light.
Ring upon my finger,
My little golden ring,
I press you tenderly to my lips,
Tenderly to my heart.

Help me, dear sisters,
Lovingly adorn me,
Serve me today, the happy one.
Busily wind
Around my brow
The blooming myrtle's ornament.
When I lay, contented,
With joyful heart,
In my beloved's arms,
Still he called, with longing heart,
Impatiently,
For this very day.
Help me, dear sisters,
Help me to banish
This foolish, trembling fear,
That I may greet him
With clear, bright eyes —
Him, the source of all my joy.
My beloved, have you appeared?
Do you, my sun, give me your light?
Let me in devotion,
Let me in humbleness
Bow before my lord.
Scatter flowers, sisters,
Scatter flowers before him,
Bring him roses, barely opened.
But you, dear sisters,
I bid farewell with tender sadness,
Departing gladly from your side.

Sweet friend, you looked at me
With wonder in your eyes,
You cannot understand
How I can weep like this.
Let these unfamiliar pearls
Tremble bright with joy
Upon my lashes.
How anxious is my heart,
And yet how full of bliss!
If only I could find the words
To tell you what I feel.
Come, hide your face
Here against my breast —
I will whisper in your ear
All my joy.
I asked my mother
About certain signs,
And dear, good mother
Told me everything,
Explained to me that soon,
By every sign,
A cradle must be prepared.
Now you know the tears
That I have been weeping —
You shall not see them,
My beloved husband.
Stay close to my heart,
Feel it beating,
That I may hold you
Closer and still closer.
Here beside my bed
There will be room for a cradle,
Where it will quietly hold
My sweet dream; #
And morning will come
When the dream awakens,
And your own face
Will smile up at me from within.

Against my heart, against my breast,
You, my delight, you, my bliss!
Love is happiness, happiness is love —
I have said it and will not take it back.
I thought myself supremely blessed,
Yet now I am more blessed still.
Only she who nurses, only she who loves
The child to whom she gives her nourishment —
Only a mother knows alone
What it means to love and to be happy.
How I pity the man
Who cannot know a mother's joy!
You look at me and smile —
You dear, dear angel, you!
Against my heart, against my breast,
You, my delight, you, my bliss!