Why do we fret at the inconstancy Of our frail hearts, which cannot always love? Time rushes onward, and we mortals move Like waifs upon a river, neither free To halt or hurry. Sweet, if destiny Throws us together for an hour, a day, In the backwater of this quiet bay, Let us rejoice. Before us lies the sea, Where we must all be lost in spite of love. We dare not stop to question. Happiness Lies in our hand unsought, a treasure trove. Time has short patience of man's vain distress; And fate grows angry at too long delay, And floods rise fast, and we are swept away.