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Apollinaire, Guillaume: The Gypsy (La Tzigane in English)

Portre of Apollinaire, Guillaume

La Tzigane (French)

La tzigane savait d'avance

Nos deux vies barrées par les nuits

Nous lui dîmes adieu et puis

De ce puits sortit l'Espérance

 

L'amour lourd comme un ours privé

Dansa debout quand nous voulûmes

Et l'oiseau bleu perdit ses plumes

Et les mendiants leurs Ave

 

On sait très bien que l'on se damne

Mais l'espoir d'aimer en chemin

Nous fait penser main dans la main

A ce qu'a prédit la tzigane



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://fr.wikisource.org

The Gypsy (English)

The gypsy knew in advance

Our two lives star-crossed by night

We said farewell to her and then

from that deep well Hope began

 

Love heavy a performing bear

Danced upright when we wanted

And the blue bird lost his plumes

And the beggars lost their Ave

 

We knew quite well that we were damned

But hope of love in the street

Made us think hand in hand

Of what the Gypsy did foresee



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://www.poetryfoundation.org

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