Silentium

Speak not, lie hidden, and conceal
The way you dream, the things you feel.
Deep in your spirit let them rise
Akin to stars in crystal skies
That set before the night is blurred -
Delight in them, and speak no word.

How can your heart expression find?
How should another know your mind?
Can he discern what quickens you?
A thought once uttered is untrue.
Dimmed is the fountainhead when stirred -
Drink at its source, and speak no word.

Live in your inner self alone;
Within your soul a world has grown.
The magic of veiled thoughts that might
Be blinded by the outer light
Drowned in the noise of day, unheard -
Take in their song, and speak no word!

by Fedor Tyutchev
translated by Vladimir Nabokov