Fourteen Verses to Victor Hugo, Poem by Charles Cros

Poem by Charles Cros Collection The Collar of ClawsPeriod 19th century

Having said all, having given all the proofs,
Having stirred all things, seas, mountains, plains and rivers,
In his brazen rhymes eternally new,
Having, all of them, undergone the mortal trials,

The old Poet must receive today,
Without letting his Olympian weariness be guessed,
The laurels, the olive branch that was cut for him
In our gentle France where his genius shone.

Let us not fear, branches in hand, music in mind,
To disturb his rest with the noisy celebration,
Since this man is good, even more than a poet.

And as, smiling, you alone held out your arms
To the vanquished pursued, hunted like rats,
I believe, Victor Hugo, that you will smile upon us.

Charles Cros

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

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