Translated from the Spanish by Mason Carnes
At the flash of a light we are born; we are dead
Ere its splendor refulgent is sped,–—
Life is so short!
For glory and love that we ardently court
Are but shades of a dream that floats by;—
To awake is to die!
From Poems of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer (Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd., 1891) by Gustavo Adolfo Becquer. Translated from the Spanish by Mason Carnes. This poem is in the public domain.