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A Previous Life Long I lived beneath vast porticoes
Tinged by marine suns with a thousand fires
And that, in the evening, seemed like basalt grottoes
Due to their great columns, straight and majestic.
The waves, upon which a picture of the sky rolled,
Blended in a solemn and mystical fashion
The all-powerful chords of their rich music
With the colors of the setting sun reflected in my eyes.
It is there that I lived in calm voluptuousness,
In the midst of azure, waves, splendors,
And naked slaves, redolent with scents,
Who cooled my brow with palm frond fans,
And whose only concern was to fathom
The painful secret that caused me to languish.
Original French
(All translations by Cat Nilan © 1999, 2004) |