Bodleian quatrain nr. 54
Cadell 1899 - 89
Nought can be changed of what was first decreed,
Grieve as thou wilt, no heart but thine will bleed;
If thy life long, thine eyes shed tears of blood,
'Twill not increase one drop woe's raging flood.
FitzGerald 1859 - 51
The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.
Garner 1898 - 83
Whatever laws the pen of Fate has traced
For tears of man will never be erased;
Support thy ills, do not bemoan thy lot,
Let all of Fate's decrees be boldly faced.
Grolleau 1902 - 54
Ce que la Plume a écrit ne change jamais:
S'en désoler ne procure qu'une tristesse profonde;
Même en subissant l'angoisse toute ta vie,
Tu n'ajoutes pas à celle-ci une goutte de plus.
Heron-Allen 1898 - 54
What the Pen has written never changes,
and grieving only results in deep affliction;
even though, all thy life, thou sufferest anguish,
not one drop becomes increased beyond what it is.
De Marthold 1910 - 54
Ce qu'écrivit la Plume à jamais est écrit,
S'en désoler suscite un tourment à l'esprit;
Même en passant ta vie à subir cette angoisse,
Tu n'ajouteras pas un seul jour au rescrit.
Von der Porten 1927 - 54
Die Feder schrieb, du änderst nichts an ihren Zügen,
Die Grübeleien mehren nur das Leid und trügen,
Und wenn du Leid dein ganzes Leben auch erduldest,
Vermagst du nicht Sekunden ihm hinzuzufügen.
Roe 1906 - 24
For what is written, be it long or brief,
Remains the same, nor tears can give relief;
No drop of destiny is less nor more,
Though naught you know but lifelong pain and grief.
Talbot 1908 - 54
Whate'er the Pen hath written stands for aye:
Afflictions's sword the grieving heart will slay;
Though all thy life with anguish thou art wrung,
The forward march of Fate thou canst not stay.
Thompson 1906 - 73
To change the written scroll there is no power.
And grieving only makes your heart bleed sore.
Though anguish all your life consume your blood.
You cannot add to it one drop the more.
Tirtha 1941 - VI.12
The Fate will not correct what once she writes,
And more than what is doled no grain alights;
Beware of bleeding heart with sordid cares,
For cares will cast thy heart in wretched plights.
- HERON-ALLEN 1899 - App17