Hope
I have great hope
In God
That he will not abandon
Albania thus,
But that she will shine forth
And break into blossom.
May the day dawn
That will bestow upon us
A great light,
Giving birth to:
Civilization,
Prosperity.
Fraternity
And unity
And compassion
Are our salvation.
Happy is he who will be present
When this day comes.
When Albania
Will be radiant
And misfortune
Will be banished
Forever
From her sight.
For Albania,
Joyous days
Are at hand.
The darkness is receding.
Happy is he who will live
To see her reign!
For the Albanian
And his language
Are at one
With Albania.
Happy is he who will
Behold her soon!
Knowledge
And progress,
Goodness
And humanity
Will arise,
Never to stray.
[Shpreh, from the volume Luletë e verësë, Bucharest 1890, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie, and first published in English in History of Albanian literature, New York 1995, vol. 1, p. 234-235]
