They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly,
But bear-like I must fight the course.

They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly,
But bear-like I must fight the course.

Discomfort guides my tongue
And bids me speak of nothing but despair.

Discomfort guides my tongue
And bids me speak of nothing but despair.

Above all, we must abolish hope in the heart of man. A calm despair, without angry convulsions, without reproaches to read more

Above all, we must abolish hope in the heart of man. A calm despair, without angry convulsions, without reproaches to Heaven, is the essence of wisdom.

If thou dost slander her and torture me,
Never pray more; abandon all remorse;
On horror's head read more

If thou dost slander her and torture me,
Never pray more; abandon all remorse;
On horror's head horrors accumulate;
Do deeds to make heaven weep, all earth amazed;
For nothing canst thou to damnation add
Greater than that.

But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.

But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope.

Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest spirit
That fought in heaven, now fiercer by despair.

Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest spirit
That fought in heaven, now fiercer by despair.

Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you.

Despair is perfectly compatible with a good dinner, I promise you.

The man who lives only by hope will die with despair.

The man who lives only by hope will die with despair.

The world goes whispering to its own,
"This anguish pierces to the bone;"
And tender friends go read more

The world goes whispering to its own,
"This anguish pierces to the bone;"
And tender friends go sighing round,
"What love can ever cure this wound?"
My days go on, my days go on.