At dawn when the east scatters
deep golden beams across the sky,
when the sun, gleaming and clear, sets out
in the dark night's still fresh tracks
and in the morning glow the folds of the lake
lovingly caress the coastal sand -
come then to Ohrid!
When the cypress tall and the roadside oaks
begin their song with the wind,
when gold rocks over the plain
and from the fringed willows the Drim * runs enraged,
when Galicica* unfolds a myriad tales
and starts to pursue peace secretly -
come then to Ohrid!
When darkness casts a velvet cloak
and the day courses beyond the snowy heights,
when the tinkling from nearby sheepfolds stops
and over the dark arch the starry net is stretched,
when the world sinks into deep sleep
whilst somewhere a faint rustle is heard -
come then to Ohrid!
In the peaceful evening, silent, still
when the moon begins to tread the arch
and somewhere there in the broad endlessness
happily meets the beloved star
the lake gleams with a weird reflection
and all the world is mute and tranquil -
come then to Ohrid!
