Joachim du Bellay (1552–1560)

Translated by Andrew Lang

SO long you wandered on the dusky plain,

Where flit the shadows with their endless cry,

You reach the shore where all the world goes by,

You leave the strife, the slavery, the pain;

But we, but we, the mortals that remain

In vain stretch hands; for Charon sullenly

Drives us afar, we may not come anigh

Till that last mystic obolus we gain.

But you are happy in the quiet place,

And with the learned lovers of old days,

And with your love, you wander ever-more

In the dim woods, and drink forgetfulness

Of us your friends, a weary crowd that press

About the gate, or labour at the oar.