After a trial [lasting a few] short days,
Eternity awaits us.
There, there lamentation shall transform itself
Into divine contentment.
Here [on earth] virtue practises its diligence;
And the other world hands it its reward.

It is true, the devout already savour upon earth
Many a blissful moment;
But all the joys that are granted to them,
Are only an imperfect happiness to them.
They remain human beings, and peace
Ebbs and flows within their souls.

Oft they are plagued by pains of the body,
Oft by the noises of this world;
Oft within their own hearts there rages
An enemy who is victorious more often than he is vanquished;
Oft, through the fault of their brethren,
They sink into grief and impatience.

Here, where virtue often suffers,
Where debauchery often prospers,
Where one is envious of the happy
And forgets those who are grieving;
Here a human being can never be free of anguish,
Never free of his own weakness.

Here I only search for it, there I shall find it;
There shall I, holy and sanctified,
Perceive the entire worth of virtue --
The indescribably great worth;
I shall see the God of love,
[Shall] love Him, [shall] eternally exalt Him.

There the holy will of prudence
Shall become my will and my welfare;
And eternal pleasures, a plethora of salvation
Shall gladden me before the throne of God.
Then shall benefit upon benefit
Make me realize that I am eternal.

There [in eternity] I shall fathom in light
What on earth I saw but darkly;
I shall call [those events] wonderful and holy
That here seemed inexplicable;
There my spirit with praise and thanksgiving
Shall understand the connection of God's dispositions.

There shall I press my way to the throne,
Where God, my salvation, manifests Himself;
I shall sing a holy, holy, holy
To the lamb that was slaughtered;
And cherubim and seraphim
And all the heavens exalt Him.

There in the hosts of angels shall I
See myself as their equal and holy;
I shall experience the joy that is never disrupted,
To interact devoutly with the devout.
There shall through every moment,
Their salvation be my salvation, my joy their joy.

There I shall give thanks to him
Who urged me to walk God's path,
And I shall a million times
Bless him that he directed me there;
Then shall I find in the hand of the Highest
The friend whom I found on earth.

There calls out, oh may God grant it!
Perhaps a blessed one even to me:
Thanks be to you! for you have saved
My life, my soul for me - you!
Oh God, how happy this must make one,
To be the saviour of a soul!

What are you, the sufferings of this earth,
Compared to the glory of the hereafter
That shall be revealed in us
From eternity to eternity?
Compared to that glory how as nought, as utterly nought,
Is a brief moment of toil!