La Babel şezum lângă ape
Şi lacrimi amare plânsém,
Cu dorul şi jalea sub pleoape
De când e duşmanu-n Salem.
Ce fiice putură să scape
Pribege tot plâng şi tot gem!
Când jalnica noastră privire
În slobodul râu se-neca,
De muzici veni poruncire:
Ci zisem vrăjmaşului ba!
Direapta ne sece, din lire
Duşmanului de vom cânta!
Pe-o salce mi-e lira'târnată,
Pierduţi sunt, Salem, ai mei paşi!
Din slava-ţi preacrud fărîmată
Lăuta e semnul ce-mi laşi,
Iar dulcele-i zvon niciodată
N-o fi pentru-ai tăi ucigaşi!
(1815)
traducere de Paul Abucean
We sate down and wept by the waters of Babel
I
We sate down and wept by the waters
Of Babel, and thought of the day
When our foe, in the hue of his slaughters,
Made Salem's high places his prey;
And ye, oh her desolate daughters!
Were scattered all weeping away.
II
While sadly we gazed on the river
Which roll'd on in freedom below,
They demanded the song; but, oh never
That triumph the stranger shall know!
May this right hand be withered for ever,
Ere it string our high harp for the foe!
III
On the willow that harp is suspended,
Oh Salem! its sound should be free;
And the hour when thy glories were ended
But left me that token of thee:
And ne'er shall its soft tones be blended
With the voice of the spoiler by me!
from The Hebrew Melodies (1815)
