IN THE LIGHT AIR (Dans l'air léger, dans l'azur rose)

Charles Leconte de Lisle (1818-1894; tr. John Drury)

In the light air, before the sun,

A gold thread shines, thin as a sliver,

On gloom that’s watered by the dawn.

Winged flower that blooms when day’s begun,

The bird awakens, flies from cover

In the light air, before the sun.

O rose, your soul the bee drinks down!

The full, rustling tamarinds waver

On gloom that’s watered by the dawn.

Mist that quivers when a breeze comes on

Will open into bloom and hover

In the light air, before the sun.

And the ocean, where the skies recline,

Rolls its imposing, sweet palaver

On gloom that’s watered by the dawn.

But eyes I’ve loved and thought divine

Have closed, and that will last forever

In the light air, before the sun!