No. 42 Adieu to the Valley
Oh, of love twin-brother anguish!
In thy pangs I faint and languish,
Cannot find relief from thee!
Nay, no marvel! I must grieve her,
Wander forth in exile, leave her,
Who hath gained the heart of me;
Who of loveliness so rare is
That for her sake Trojan Paris
Would have left his Helenë.
Smile, thou valley, sweetest, fairest,
Wreathed with roses of the rarest,
Flower of all the vales that be!
Vale of vales, all vales excelling,
Sun and moon thy praise are telling,
With the song-birds’ melody;
Nightingales thy praise are singing,
O thou soothing solace-bringing
To the soul’s despondency!
The second was probably intended to be sung at a drinking-party by a student taking leave of his companions. It is love that forces him to quit their society and to break with his studies. The long rhyming lines, followed by a sharp drop at the close of each stanza upon a short disjointed phrase, seem to indicate discouragement and melancholy.