Romance Made at Ermenonville

Poem by Fanny De Beauharnais Period 18th century

on the tomb of J.-J. Rousseau

Here then is the peaceful dwelling,
Where of mortals
The most tender and the most sensitive
Has altars!
It is here that a sage rests
Tranquilly.
Ah! let us at least adorn with a rose
His monument.

Come near, desolate mothers,
To this tomb:
For you, of all mausoleums
It is the most beautiful.
Jean-Jacques taught you the use
Of your powers,
And made you love more dearly
All your duties.

It is here that in silence,
His pen in hand,
He enlarged the science
Of the human heart.
Further on, do you see those groves
Dark and green;
He withdrew there from the homage
Of the universe.

Around this somber asylum,
In these moments
Does one not seem to see wandering the shadow
Of two lovers?
Noble Saint-Preux, simple Julie,
Adored names,
What sweet melancholy
You inspire in me!

On this solitary tomb
Flow my tears!
Alas! he is no more on the earth,
The friend of morals!
You who love only imposture,
Flee these places.
Sentiment and nature
Were gods.

fanny-de-beauharnais

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-romance-faite-a-ermenonville-fanny-de-beauharnais/