youth sat on a hill
with his grief;
and soon his eyes grew
dark and moist with tears.

He watched happy lambs playing
on the green cliff-side,
the happy brook streaming
along the colorful valley...

...the butterflies sipping 
at the red mouths of flowers,
and, like morning dreams, 
clouds flying about.

And all was so cheerful,
and everything floated in happiness;
only in his heart
nothing could be seen of joy.

Alas, the muffled death-knell
now tolled in the village,
and already in the distance
there echoed a lamenting song;

Now he saw lights shining,
and the black cortège.
 He began to weep bitterly,
for they were bringing his Rosie.

Now they lowered the coffin;
the grave-digger arrived,
and gave back to the earth
what God had taken from it.

Then the youth silenced his lament,
and his gaze grew reverential;
already he could see that lovely day
of reunion's joy.

And as the stars came out
and the moon sailed up,
he read in the stars
a lofty message of hope.