Jeanne Was Dreaming, Poem by Victor Hugo

Poem by Victor Hugo Themes ChildhoodPeriod 19th century

Jeanne was dreaming, seated on the grass, grave and rosy;
I drew near: “Tell me if you want something,
Jeanne?”—for I obey those charming loves,
I watch for them, and I always seek to understand
All that can pass through those divine little heads.
Jeanne answered me: “I would like to see some beasts.”
Then I showed her an ant in the grass.
“Look!” But Jeanne was only half content.
“No, beasts are big,” she said to me.

Their dream
is the great. The ocean draws them to its shore,
Lulling them with its hoarse song, and captivating them
By the shadow, and by the terrifying flight of the wind;
They love dread, they need the prodigy.
“I don’t have an elephant on hand,” I answered.
Do you want something else? O Jeanne, it is owed to you!
Speak.”—Then Jeanne raised her little finger to the sky.
“That,” she said.—It was the hour when evening begins.
I saw on the horizon the immense moon rise.

Victor Hugo

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

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