From here, everyone seems small, insignificant.
From my rooftop, the world is spread out before me.
It is still dark, but the first colors of morning
Are thrown out onto the sky,
And reflect on the water
Of the lake that sleeps next to the city.

Hark, now appears the sun,
Glorious in its power.
O majestic watcher of worlds,
What have you seen on our humble planet?
What heroics have you witnessed?
What tragedies have you observed?
What does the world look like from your throne
In the middle of our solar system?
Do you and the moon wonder
At the nature of man?
Come, sun, and look upon my city once more,
And let your beams of life reveal my world.

Buildings stand guard around me,
Monoliths that form a forest of concrete.
The city awakens slowly,
As cars and trucks start up and drive away,
As people greet each other and go to work,
As the smells of the neighbors’ breakfast,
Of coffee, of exhaust
Mix together to form my city’s morning.

Rise up over my horizon, O sun,
Cast your light upon my lake,
And come to judge my city
Once more.