One of my favorite poems

[Dna8]

'You see, we have to be forgiven...'

Sweetness, sweetness, sweetness

-Anonymous


You see, we have to be forgiven things;
This way happiness lies,
And if our life goes through gloomy times,
Why then, we'll be a pair of snivellers.

How good if our twin souls could blend
Vague desires with the infantile joy
Of walking free of women and men,
Backs turned on persecutors.

Let's be children, let's be two young girls
Free as air and full of wonder,
Who grow pale in simple groves of trees,
Not knowing even that they've been forgiven.


-Verlaine

[Selurong]

'You see, we have to be forgiven...'

Sweetness, sweetness, sweetness

-Anonymous


You see, we have to be forgiven things;
This way happiness lies,
And if our life goes through gloomy times,
Why then, we'll be a pair of snivellers.

How good if our twin souls could blend
Vague desires with the infantile joy
Of walking free of women and men,
Backs turned on persecutors.

Let's be children, let's be two young girls
Free as air and full of wonder,
Who grow pale in simple groves of trees,
Not knowing even that they've been forgiven.


-Verlaine

Wonderful! Do you have it's original French? I think it would rhyme more and have better sentence construction in French.

[Dna8]

Wonderful! Do you have it's original French? I think it would rhyme more and have better sentence construction in French.

It would be infinitely better in the original French (but I cannot read/speak French)

Many would rightly observe that, not knowing French, I can appreciate Verlaine only about as much as I can appreciate what it is like for a bird to fly.

[Dna8]

Wonderful! Do you have it's original French? I think it would rhyme more and have better sentence construction in French.

https://books.google.co.nz/books?red...rgiven&f=false

page 70

[MiloshN]

Awwwww sweety

[NSXD60]

Spoon River Anthology: Ollie McGee (Edgar Lee Masters)

Cajun Translation


C'que t'as vu s' trainer dans le village
Ain homme aux yeux baissés et d' figure maigue?
Ces mon mari qui, par en cachette crielle-le
Jamais d'ête connu, m'a pillé d' jeinesse et d' beauté-le,
'Squ'à au boute, plein d' plis et jaune à dents,
Ma fierté cassé par aine soumission honteuse
J'ai calé à la fosse.
Mais qui ti crois monge mon mari au cœur?
L'enmage de ça j'étais, l'enmage de sa facture-le!
Ces affaires le pousse à la place éyou j' dors.
Bein, morte, d'abord, j'ai mon ervange.


The Original

Have you seen walking through the village
A man with downcast eyes and haggard face?
That is my husband who, by cruel secrecy
Never to be told, robbed me of my youth and my beauty;
Till at last, wrinkled and with yellow teeth,
And with broken pride and shamefull humility,
I sank into the grave.
But what think you gnaws at my husband's heart?
The face of what I was, the face of what he made me!
These are driving him to the place where I lie.
In death, therefore, I am avenged.