In Fog – a translation

Translation of ‘Im Nebel’, a poem by Herman Hesse

To wander in fog is singular,

Lonely as every bush and stone;

The trees cannot see each other,

Every one is alone.

~

Friends filled my world

While my life was still light;

Now that the fog has curled,

Not one of them is in sight.

~

Truly, a man cannot be wise

Who does not know the darkness

That between him and all else lies,

Inescapable and noiseless.

~

To wander in the fog is singular,

Living on one’s own.

Nobody knows each other,

Everyone is alone.