The Proverbs of Confucius by Friedrich Schiller

I.

Time unfolds in a three-fold way:

The future stalks us cautiously,

The now like lightning bolts departs,

The past forever-still remains.

Impatience never hurries Time

On its way, if it delays.

Neither fear nor doubt impedes it

In its course when it makes its way.

No remorse or magic saying

Can move the motionless.

If you wish to capture life’s joys

With true wisdom and delight,

Then heed the slow and steady one—

And never treat him as a fool.

Do not befriend the fleeting,

Or treat the constant as your foe.

II.

Threefold is the shape of space:

Its never-ending length strives

Ceaselessly; into the distance

Endlessly outpours its breadth,

Bottomless remains its depth.

Let it then serve as a model:

Always keep on going forward;

Neither idle nor retire,

If you long for perfection;

Always extend yourself broadly,

If you long to know Earth’s wonders.

You must plunge into the deep,

If the essence is what you seek.

Persistence leads to the goal,

Clarity is found in abundance,

The truth lies in the abyss.

Translation © David B. Gosselin

Learn more about Friedrich Schiller here.