Les Regrets/8

VII. 'Happy, the man who finds sweet journey’s end '

Les Regrets ~ VIII written by Joachim Du Bellay translated by A. S. Kline

IX. 'I love liberty, and I languish in service'

Les Regrets - VIII. ‘Ô qu’heureux est celui qui peut passer son âge’.

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VIII

"Oh, happy is he who can pass his days"
 
Oh, happy is he who can pass his days
Among his equals! And without deception,
Free of fear, or envy or ambition,
In his own home pursue his own quiet ways!
 
That wretched need to garner more praise,
Never tyrannises over free affection;
His deepest desire, devoid of passion,
Never far from our true heritage strays.
 
He never delves in the business of another,
He is court, king, favour, and his own master.
His expectations rest on himself alone.

He’ll not eat in a far land, as a stranger,
Nor for another place himself in danger:
Richer, in that there’s nothing more he’d own.