Thanatopsis

by William Cullen Bryant

translated to Ro by Mr. and Mrs. E.P. Foster
Ro text copied from the Library Of Congress by Paul O. Bartlett

Id ad av, in siku ov Bikab, had
  To him who in the love of nature holds
Sical ir afe reluo faz, af rom
  Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
Kubov roa: is sedmor-cik tadaz
  A various language; for his gayer hours
Af hab rolab ov sebgu, ud modac
  She has a voice of gladness, and a smile
Ud romal ov lafuf; ud af kelseg
  And eloquence of beauty; and she glides
Il ade cavos rebsaz ir samoc
  Into his darker musings, with a mild
Ud licob siqab av hel odh agze
  And healing sympathy that steals away
Bekuf, ik ad resed. Avit rebaz
  Their sharpness ere he is aware. When thoughts
Ov jobof cavob tad kep iqk visna
  Of the last bitter hour come like a blight
Ig ace sabak, ud cavos fagabz
  Over thy spirit, and sad images
Ov vocot sebnat, lotcad ud lotcal,
  Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,
Ud liqnob bosna, ud gocob dubal,
  And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,
Ep ac momer ud loco idh mepac,
  Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart; –
Ket ib og gikob biba, ud remev
  Go forth, under the open sky, and list
Id Bikab'e rovabz, uct od cub oc –
  To Nature's teachings, while from all around –
Buba, bedcaz, ud giqabz ov bebar –
  Earth and her waters, and the depths of air –
Kep samor rolab: Ubye gozob tafz,
  Comes a still voice. Yet a few days, and thee
Ud bisa av rel zuc, en em rel ac
  The all-beholding sun shall see no more
In cub kebak; urni gomic budbaf
  In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground,
Avid ac eko da, gizib menafz,
  Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears,
Urni in silam ov bucab, em eyb
  Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist
Aca. Buba av ek pob, em sobej
  Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim
Ace cigab, ebo buba udge;
  Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again,
Ud, eg hub ak muyo rucaf, er hoj
  And, lost each human trace, surrendering up
Ace rabol eya, aca em ket
  Thine individual being, shalt thou go
Eb cofem zufi ir bubo babaz;
  To mix forever with the elements,
Eb ey radat id san bacak, ud id
  To be a brother to the insensible rock
Bemfof dedag, av dalabo radjam
  And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain
Kavej palig ud kebet if. Ludak
  Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak
Em kas lecabz ud kic ace budbap.
  Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mold.

Ubyi en id ace zuto tobab
  Yet not to thine eternal resting-place
Em ac kobef zenob,–nur yuk ac va
  Shalt thou retire alone, nor couldst thou wish
Dodac cik lafor. Ac em mob oj
  Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down
Ir radapsaz ov ragob bubar, – ir
  With patriarchs of the infant world – with kings,
Rajadz, lidofz ov bub,–rosokz, giyoz,
  The powerful of the earth – the wise, the good,
Lafo faz, ud bodok reliarz tecof,
  Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past,
Zuc in zab cif lotmad. Bulafz, bacik
  All in one mighty sepulchre. The hills
Megofo, ud tecof uz bisa; ix,
  Rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun, – the vales
Bumabz, er bepec in reboj samur;
  Stretching in pensive quietness between;
Socuda legagaz; buraz av keb
  The venerable woods – rivers that move
Lafyil, ud er mokef bupabz av ep
  In majesty, and the complaining brooks
Bujarz bofog; ud, bigjofo oc zuc,
  That make the meadows green; and, poured round all,
Matof bucob bodog ud gojawol
  Old Ocean's gray and melancholy waste, –
Bunac, – el canib sevlod febakz zuc
  Are but the solemn decorations all
Ov gidor lotmab ov muyab! Babgos
  Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun,
Bisa, biraz, zudob zegat biboc,
  The planets, all the infinite host of heaven,
El bos if sebnog dagabz ov lobu,
  Are shining on the sad abodes of death
Ic minos tetal of tefbaz. Zuc av
  Through the still lapse of ages. All that tread
Kebet bubaf el zenib mefob ca
  The globe are but a handful to the tribes
Id rackabz av lomed in age jimad.
  That slumber in its bosom. – Take the wings
Hek meblaqz ov tagab, kiceb Barcan
  Of morning, pierce the Barcan wilderness,
Bunal, ur hub ac in zukod legagz
  Or lose thyself in the continuous woods
Avid at Oregon kevef, ud rem ana
  Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no sound,
Oz adaqe kagakz,–ubye lobaz amid!
  Save his own dashings – yet the dead are there:
Ud zazabz in amo bunafz, ot kef
  And millions in those solitudes, since first
Ov taqz ek jeb zapib, ef mobem aqz
  The flight of years began, have laid them down
In jobof lom, – amid lobaz zenoc!
  In their last sleep – the dead reign there alone.

Asi ac em tobeb; ud uf ac cek
  So shalt thou rest – and what if thou withdraw
In minu od libaz; ud no sibra
  In silence from the living, and no friend
Rebeb ace kodab? Zuc av liqeb
  Take note of thy departure? All that breathe
Em hag ace vacad. Sedmarz em mod
  Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh
Uz ac ef ket, sevlod zemar osmob
  When thou art gone, the solemn brood of care
Vaked if, ud ak ra, uz ik, em ved
  Plod on, and each one as before will chase
Valoc sujrat; ubye zuc alz em huv
  His favorite phantom; yet all these shall leave
Agze sedmac ud vevadz ud em kep
  Their mirth and their employments, and shall come
Ud ep dodab ir ac. Uz gib piral
  And make their bed with thee. As the long train
Ov tefaz kelseg odh, radsaz ov raz –
  Of ages glides away, the sons of men –
Radaj tamib ov lib, ud ad av ket
  The youth in life's fresh spring, and he who goes
In gis lidub ov taqz, rafam, rafak,
  In the full strength of years, matron and maid,
Bolof ragab, bodig mebodo ra –
  The speechless babe, and the gray-headed man –
Emo ak zebeg id ace dejab
  Shall one by one be gathered to thy side,
Ip amz av in kevab em kokel atz.
  By those, who in their turn, shall follow them.

Asi lib, ut avit ace vodas,
  So live, that when thy summons comes to join
Em kep eb cok zudod pibaf av keb
  The innumerable caravan, which moves
Id bofwo dacagz ov bocnap, avid
  To that mysterious realm, where each shall take
Ak hek dugac in dufalz ov lobu
  His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Ac en ket iqk futoq rambar taji,
  Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Paksolo id datag, ub, poboso
  Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed
Ip en mojop rigam, kidjeb lotmag
  By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave
Iqk ra av dimgef doqab ov dodac
  Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
Ip ad, ud mobem id lastom rivalz.
  About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

 



web version created by Rick Harrison