Vreme trece, vreme vine,
Toate-s vechi si noua toate;
Ce e rau si ce e bine
Tu te-ntreaba si socoate;
Nu spera si nu ai teama,
Ce e val, ca valul trece;
De te-ndeamna, de te cheama'
Tu ramii la toate rece.

Multe trec pe dinainte,
In auz ne suna multe,
Cine tine toate minte
Si ar sta sa le asculte?...
Tu aseaza-te deoparte,
Regasindu-te pe tine,
Cind cu zgomote desarte
Vreme trece, vreme vine.

Nici incline a ei limba
Recea cumpan-a gindirii
Inspre clipa ce se schimba
Pentru masca fericirii,
Ce din moartea ei se naste
Si o clipa tine poate;
Pentru cine o cunoaste
Toate-s vechi si noua toate.

Privitor ca la teatru
Tu in lume sa te-nchipui;
Joace unul si pe patru,
Totusi tu ghici-vei chipu-i,
Si de plinge, de se cearta,
Tu in colt petreci in tine
Si-ntelegi din a lor arta
Ce e rau si ce e bine.

Viitorul si trecutul
Sunt a filei doua fete,
Vede-n capat inceputul
Cine stie sa le-nvete;
Tot ce-a fost ori o sa fie
In prezent le-avem pe toate
Dar de-a lor zadarnicie
Te intreaba si socoate.

Caci acelorasi mijloace
Se supun cite exista,
Si de mii de ani incoace
Lumea-i vesela si trista;
Alte masti, aceeasi piesa,
Alte guri, aceeasi gama,
Amagit atit de-adese
Nu spera si nu ai teama.

Nu spera cind vezi miseii
La izbinda facind punte,
Te-or intrece nataraii,
De ai fi cu stea in frunte;
Teama n-ai, cata-vor iarasi
Intre dinsii sa se plece,
Nu te prinde lor tovaras:
Ce e val, ca valul trece.

Cu un cintec de sirena,
Lumea-ntinde lucii mreje;
Ca sa schimbe-actorii-n scena,
Te momeste in virteje;
Tu pe-alaturi te stercoara,
Nu baga nici chiar de seama,
Din cararea ta afara
De te-ndeamna, de te cheama.

De te-ating, sa feri in laturi,
De hulesc, sa taci din gura;
Ce mai vrei cu-a tale sfaturi
Daca stii a lor masura;
Zica toti ce-or vrea sa zica,
Treaca-n lume cine-o trece;
Ca sa nu-ndragesti nimica,
Tu ramii la toate rece.

Tu ramii la toate rece,
De te-ndeamna, de te cheama;
Ce e val, ca valul trece,
Nu spera si nu ai teama;
Tu te-ntreaba si socoate
Ce e rau si ce e bine;
Toate-s vechi si noua toate:
Vreme trece, vreme vine.

Glossa

Time goes by, time comes along,
All is old and all is new;
What is right and what is wrong,
You must think and ask of you;
Have no hope and have no fear,
Waves that rise can never hold;
If they urge or if they cheer,
You remain aloof and cold.

To our sight a lot will glisten,
Many sounds will reach our ear;
Who could take the time to listen
And remember all we hear?
Keep aside from all that patter,
Seek yourself, far from the throng
When with loud and idle clatter
Time goes by, time comes along.

Nor forget the tongue of reason
Or its even scales depress
When the moment, changing season,
Wears the mask of happiness -
It is born of reason's slumber
And may last a wink as true:
For the one who knows its number
All is old and all is new.

Be as to a play, spectator,
As the world unfolds before:
You will know the heart of matter
Should they act two parts or four;
When they cry or tear asunder
From your seat enjoy along
And you'll learn from art to wonder
What is right and what is wrong.

Past and future, ever blending,
Are the twin sides of same page:
New start will begin with ending
When you know to learn from age;
All that was or be tomorrow
We have in the present, too;
But what's vain and futile sorrow
You must think and ask of you;

For the living cannot sever
From the means we've always had:
Now, as years ago, and ever,
Men are happy or are sad:
Other masks, same play repeated;
Diff'rent tongues, same words to hear;
Of your dreams so often cheated,
Have no hope and have no fear.

Hope not when the villains cluster
By success and glory drawn:
Fools with perfect lack of luster
Will outshine Hyperion!
Fear it not, they'll push each other
To reach higher in the fold,
Do not side with them as brother,
Waves that rise can never hold.

Sounds of siren songs call steady
Toward golden nets, astray;
Life attracts you into eddies
To change actors in the play;
Steal aside from crowd and bustle,
Do not look, seem not to hear
From your path, away from hustle,
If they urge or if they cheer;

If they reach for you, go faster,
Hold your tongue when slanders yell;
Your advice they cannot master,
Don't you know their measure well?
Let them talk and let them chatter,
Let all go past, young and old;
Unattached to man or matter,
You remain aloof and cold.

You remain aloof and cold
If they urge or if they cheer;
Waves that rise can never hold,
Have no hope and have no fear;
You must think and ask of you
What is right and what is wrong;
All is old and all is new,
Time goes by, time comes along.

Gloss

Time goes by, time draws near,
It's all new, it's all old.
What's hidden, what is clear,
Please inquire, then behold;
Have no hope and have no fear,
Every wave will rise and fall;
Just stay cold, remain sincere
If they lure you, if they call.

Much has passed before your gaze,
Many sounds ring in your ear,
Yet who keeps them in thought's maze
Or even bother to try to hear...?
You, my sweet, should pause anew,
Discover yourself again, my dear,
For despite all the hullabaloo
Time goes by, time draws near.

Don't let the cold balance of thought
Incline its beam to find
That everchanging mask of joy, caught
For only a second,
Given birth at its death knell
Into fleeting pleasure's mould;
For the one who knows it well
It's all new, it's all old.

Now imagine the world a stage,
And you out there, the audience;
Despite parts the actor's played
You'll guess his real face.
If he cries or if he argues
Listen, but don't bend an ear,
Teach yourself from watching his cues
What is hidden, what is clear.

Both the past and the future
Are two sides of the same page.
He who learns them will discover
A beginning's found at the end of an age;
At present we have plenty
Of the new and of the old,
But as to their vanity
Please inquire, then behold.

All things that exist today
Suffer the same destiny,
Different masks, but same play,
Other lips, same harmony
And for thousand of centuries
We've laughed or shed a tear,
So you, deluded down the ages,
Have no hope and have no fear.

Have no hope if you see bad men
Building bridges to success,
Even if you were Solomon,
Such rogues will ever surpass,
Have no fear. To get their due
Knave against knave will always brawl
So never let them befriend you,
Every wave will rise and fall.

If they touch you move away
If they curse, then hold your tongue;
Don't give advise whatever they say,
What's the use with a motley throng!
Let them say whatever they want to,
Let them pass, whatever you hear,
But don't let anything persuade you,
Just stay cold, remain sincere.

The world starches shining nets
Just like a siren's song on the seas;
To replace actors on the stage it starts
To tempt you into vortexes;
So stay away from such temptation,
Don't take any notice at all,
Keep only to your own direction
If they lure you, if they call.

If they lure you, if they call
Just stay cold, remain sincere,
Every wave will rise and fall,
Have no hope and have no fear,
Please inquire, then behold
What's hidden, what is clear,
It's all new, it's all old;
Time goes by, time draws near.