Arts & Sciences

Art Thou Waking?

by Charles Van Lerberghe 1861–1907

Translated by Jethro Bithell (1911) · From Contemporary Belgian Poetry (1911)

Arts & Sciences

Art thou waking, my perfume sunny,
My perfume of gilded bees,
Art thou floating along the breeze,
My perfume of sweet honey?

In the hush of the gloam, when my feet
Roam through the rich garden-closes,
Dost thou tell I am coming, thou smell
Of my lilacs, and my warm roses?

Am I not like in this gloam a
Cluster of fruit concealed
By the leaves, and by nothing revealed,
Save in the night its aroma?

Does he know, now the hour is dim,
That I am half opening my hair,
Does he know that it scents the air,
Does its odour reach to him?

Does he feel I am straining my arms?
And that the lilies of my valleys
Are dewy with passion-balm
That for his touching tarries?

MLA

Lerberghe, Charles Van. “Art Thou Waking?” Translated by Jethro Bithell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/charles-van-lerberghe/3/.

Chicago

Lerberghe, Charles Van. “Art Thou Waking?” Translated by Jethro Bithell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/charles-van-lerberghe/3/.

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