It was New Year's night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards
the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surfuce of a clear calm
lake. When he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himeself now moved
towards their certain goal-- the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it,
and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his
mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams of before him, and he recalled the serious moment when
his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads-- one leading to a peaceful, sunny place,
covered with flowers, fruits and resoounding with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to deep,
dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous
snakes and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully,"O, youth, return!O, my father, place me once more
at the entrance to life, and I'll choose the better way!" But both his father and the days of his
youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. There were the days of his wasted life; he saw a
star fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His remoree, which was
like a sharp sorrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remember his friends in his childhood,
which entered life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honored
and happy on this New Year's night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made hime remember his parents' early love
for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With
shame and grief he dared no longer to look towards the heaven where his father lived. His darkness
eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry:" Come back, my early
days! Come back!"
And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream, which he had on New Year's night. He was
still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was
still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
Those who still linger on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember
that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but
in vain. "O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!"