La vie est brève [English translation]

        Life is short,

      a little dream

      a little love

      and then good morning!

      Life is shallow,

      a little trouble

      a little hope

      and then good night!

In Sophia life was great.

I improved my French.

It was invitational exile life anyway,

Invitation cards of diplomatical missions,

feasts, openings, dinners.

Whatever it takes for my country,

I was trying to make it from here.

I never delayed writing to my friends.

The time, it was waiting for our time.

        Life is short,

      a little dream

      a little love

      and then good morning!

      Life is shallow,

      a little trouble

      a little hope

      and then good night!

One day, in a musical tea garden of Sophia

Suddenly a bulgarian peasant came to me.

Waiter was unhappy about waiting on him

Peasant said: "Bulgaria, she sustains herself by my work,

Bulgaria gets defended with my rifle

Give my tea and cake, take the money"

And I supported the peasant.

"My peasants should be like that, too," I said.

"They should be like this!"

        Life is short,

      a little dream

      a little love

      and then good morning!

      Life is shallow,

      a little trouble

      a little hope

      and then good night!

Dimitrina was the daughter of General Ratchov Patrov.

We used to frequently be together.

Her father was the Bulgarian defense counsel.

He used to invite, and I would always come.

We used to dance with his daughter,

I liked her very much.

When the topic comes to politics

I used to say "Equality of women and men Dimitrina,

Election right, right to stand for election,

women should have all kinds of freedom."

And Dimitrina would say "Mustafa, this doesn't exist even in Europe?

When will this happen in Turkey?"

"Pretty soon" I would say "Dimitrina,

Pretty soon...1

Women, will bear themselves again."

1. "Hem de" used to emphasise the "Pretty soon" here but I couldn't find the true word to translate