Sonnet to the Reader, Poem by Alfred De Musset

Poem by Alfred De Musset Collection New PoemsPeriod 19th century

Until now, reader, following the ancient custom,
I would wish you good day on the first page.
My book, this time, closes less cheerfully;
In truth, this century is a bad moment.

Everything passes, the pleasures and the manners of another age,
The kings, the vanquished gods, triumphant chance,
Rosafinde and Suzon who find me too wise,
Lamartine grown old who treats me like a child.

Politics, alas! there is our misery.
My best enemies advise me to take it up.
To be red this evening, white tomorrow, faith, no.

I want, when I have been read, that I can be read again.
If two names, by chance, get tangled on my lyre,
It will never be anyone but Ninette or Ninon.

Alfred De Musset

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

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