At the Edge of Silence

I have known myself intensely
only at the moment of final surrender—
in unbearable joy or anguish,
in experience or accident.

Meanwhile, driven by the condemning epithets of my idols
into a kind of distant absorption—
as reflections withdrew, my true form grew clearer.

I came to stand before an invisible mirror—
behind the mirror lay my own contemplation.

Have I seen nothing all this while?

With bewildered heart—a terrible silence began to devour.
What is this! Life was never even lived to the full!

Yet, in an instant all tumult will fall still...
Where then is my destination bound to be?