Morality, Poem by Charles Cros

Poem by Charles Cros Collection The Sandalwood CasketPeriod 19th century

For the Tomb of Théophile Gautier

To adorn the world with one’s body, with one’s soul,
To be as beautiful as one can be in our dark surroundings,
To say aloud what one dreams and loves the most,
That is the duty, for every man and every woman.

The people disinherited by heaven, who have neither flame
Beneath the brow, nor attracting rays in the eyes,
Startled by your leaps, careless lion,
Held it against you. But the mocking wind has taken their blame.

The splendor of your life and your scintillating verses
Defend you, just as the thirteen flounces
Keep your Dying Woman rosy, in their rustlings.

She and you, young, beautiful, for those who will have read you
You will live. That is the price of whoever has wished
With body, with soul to adorn the world.

Charles Cros

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

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