Little old white-haired man,
weak, half-naked, barefoot,
with an enormous burden on his back,
up mountain and down valley,
over sharp rocks, across deep sands and
bracken,
...until at last he comes
to where his way
and all his effort have led him:
terrible, immense abyss
into which he falls, forgetting everything.
This, O virgin moon,
is human life.

from "Night Song of a Wandering Shepherd in Asia"

	- Giancomo Leopardi
		(Jonathan Galassi, trans.)