Master, serene are All hours We waste, if in The wasting them, As in a jar, We set flowers. There are no sorrows Nor joys either In our life. So let us learn, Thoughtlessly wise, Not to live it, But to flow down it, Tranquil, serene, Letting children Be our teachers And our eyes be Filled with Nature. On the stream's edge, On the road verge, It falls right- In always the same Light respite From being alive. Time passes, Tells us nothing. We grow old. Let's learn, as though Tongue in cheek, To watch us going. It's not worth while To make a gesture. There's no resisting The cruel god Who devours forever His own sons. Let us pick flowers, Let's dip lightly These hands of ours In the calm streams, That we may learn Calm like them. Sunflowers ever Eyeing the sun, From life let's go Tranquilly, not have Even the remorse Of having lived.
You can find this immaculate poem in Fernando Pessoa’s great little book — I Have More Souls Than One
For my fellow Portuguese speakers, the original goes like this (next comment):
The luxury of time unmanaged. Truly beautiful