For this we were created

Christmas Poem

For this we were created:
To recall and be recalled
To weep and to cause to weep
To bury our dead --
Therefore our long arms for farewells
Hands to gather what was given
Fingers to dig in the earth.

So this will be our life;
Always an afternoon to forget,
A star ending in darkness
A roadway between two tombs --
Therefore we need to watch,
To speak low, to tread softly, to see
Night sleeping in silence.

There is not much to say:
A song about a cradle
A verse, perhaps of love
A prayer for one going away --
But do not forget this hour
And by it may our hearts
Be left, sober and innocent.

Then for this we were created:
For hope in the miracle
For sharing in poetry
For seeing the face of death --
Suddenly no more shall we wait...
Today the night is young; from death
We are scarely born, immensely.

Vinicius de Moraes, Translated by Ashley Brown