Insubordination, Poem by Charles Cros

To Lionel Nunès.

To live quietly in one’s house,
Virtuous and quite right,
Is as good as drinking poison.

I do not want sickness,
My pride has not cooled,
I hear the young melody.

I hear the sound of running water,
I hear the heavy storm rumble,
Art is long and time is short.

So much the better, since there are peaches,
Fresh wine and fresh girls,
And the fire and its sparks.

We are born girls, we are born boys.
We live singing songs,
We die drinking drinks.

Charles Cros

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