Song

Poem by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly Collection PoussièresPeriod 19th century

Yes! let us stay masked before the world!
It is not worth what it would see
In our deep intimacy,
If it surprised its secret!
It would abuse it, no doubt;
It is so cruel and so base!
My Clara, for you I dread
What you yourself do not know!

You, you know of life
Only what your heart has dreamed of it…
But I, Clara, I mistrust it…
I know how false it is.

I know how many wounds are made
By jealous hearts on happy hearts…
Our masks shall be our armor!
Let us mask ourselves, Clara, you wish it!

Freeze your charming eyes that I love;
Do better, my Clara! — fill them
With disdain, with cruelty even…
Laugh at me, I give you leave!
May no one ever be able to say:
“Look! they are making sweet eyes at each other!
“They have an empire over one another…”
Let us mask ourselves, Clara, let us mask ourselves!

You will be no less charming,
And perhaps you will be,
False, even more intoxicating,
And you will intoxicate me more!
So great is the charm of mystery!
Black masks suit white brows…
To lie is better than to keep silent;
To know oneself is more than to see oneself!

Jules Barbey d’Aurevilly

Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.

Text published on Poésies 123: https://www.poesies123.com/en/poem-song-jules-barbey-d-aurevilly/