Laudator Temporis Acti

Heinrich Heine, from Romanzero, Book 2 (tr. Margaret Armour):

A Fickle queen is Fortune fair;
  She flits about from spot to spot;
She'll kiss you quick and stroke your hair,
  Then off she flies, and you're forgot.

But Dame Misfortune is not so;
  She folds you to her heart instead.
She says she's in no haste to go,
  And sits and knits beside your bed.

The same, tr. Edgar Alfred Bowring:

Good fortune quite a fickle miss is,
  And in one place will never stay;
The hair from off thy face with kisses
  She strokes, and then she flies away.

Misfortune to her heart, however,
  To clasp thee tightly, ne'er omits;
She says she's in a hurry never,
  Sits down beside thy bed and knits.

The same, tr. Louis Untermeyer:

Good-Fortune is a giddy maid,
  Fickle and restless as a fawn;
She smoothes your hair; and then the jade
  Kisses you quickly, and is gone.

But Madam Sorrow scorns all this,
  She shows no eagerness for flitting;
But, with a long and fervent kiss,
  Sits by your bed—and brings her knitting.

The same, tr. Hal Draper:

Happiness is a giddy girl
And always disinclined to stay;
She pats your head, gives you a whirl,
Kisses you quick, and flits away.

But Lady Sorrow now! Don't worry,
She's just the very opposite:
She holds you fast—she's in no hurry—
She sits down by your bed to knit.

The same, tr. Walter W. Arndt:

Good fortune is a flighty wench,
She wants no steady place to stay;
She'll stroke your hair, give it a wrench,
Blow you a kiss, and flit away.

Misfortune's hug is, au contraire,
A snug and matrimonial fit;
She's in no rush, she will declare,
Will settle by your bed, and knit.

The same, tr. Leonard Forster:

Fortune is a wanton creature and does not like to stay long in one place. She smooths your hair back from your forehead, gives you a quick kiss, and flits away.

Mrs Misfortune, on the other hand, soon takes you to her heart with firm affection. She says she is in no hurry, and sits and does her knitting by your bed.

The German:

Das Glück ist eine leichte Dirne
Und weilt nicht gern am selben Ort;
Sie streicht das Haar dir von der Stirne,
Und küßt dich rasch und flattert fort.

Frau Unglück hat im Gegenteile
Dich liebefest ans Herz gedrückt;
Sie sagt, sie habe keine Eile,
Setzt sich zu dir ans Bett und strickt.