One Must Know How To Grow Old… Poem by Janri Gogeshvili

One must know
How to get old.
It’s a kind of gift
To be brave and bold.
We must know
How to master ourselves,
How to become
Strong and fearless;
How to be patient,
Gentle and wise,
How to accept
Our fall and rise.
One must know
How to get old:
It’s a kind of gift
Sent down by God;
A gift for mastering
Nerves and muscles,
For getting braver,
For helping others.
One must know
How to get old,
How to bear pains,
How to be bold;
How to bear solitude,
How to reach the space’s heart,
How to grow fearless,
How to be smart…
That is a gift
Encouraged by prayers;
A gift for playing with death,
A gift for defeating the grief.
Let’s not mourn
Over the last breath.

11.O2.2OO2.

Translated from Georgian