What did I see, fool that I was?
Oh, a goddess with wings on her heels.
All my illusions projected on her; 
The ideal that I wanted to see.

What did I know, fool that I was?
Oh, little by little I learn.
My friends were dismayed
To see me betrayed, 
But they knew they could never tell me.

What did I care, fool that I was?
Oh, little by little I've learned.
But how pretty the picture was back then.

What did I do, fool that I was, 
To profit from youthful mistakes?
It's shameful to tell
How often I fell
In love with delusions again.

What did I do, the fool that I was, 
To profit from youthful mistakes?
So shameful to tell
Just how often I fell
In love with illusions again!