Nature
Stars by the hundreds dot the sky
Translated by Joseph Štýbr (1920) · From Evening Songs (Večerní písně), trans. Štýbr (1920)
Stars by the hundreds dot the sky
With sister Moon at leisure,
And God and angels view the world
From heaven’s height with pleasure.
A smiling angel’s coming down
To earth as heaven’s vision—
Fair as the fragrant breath of spring,
And love is his sweet mission.
Wherever he just passes by
All’s stricken with sweet passion,
And nightingales and fair white doves
All sing with animation.
And he whom his white wing does touch
Is transformed all over,
And something sweet enters his breast
That human words can’t cover.
Cite this poem
MLA
Hálek, Vítězslav. “Stars by the hundreds dot the sky.” Translated by Joseph Štýbr. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/halek/4/.
Chicago
Hálek, Vítězslav. “Stars by the hundreds dot the sky.” Translated by Joseph Štýbr. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/halek/4/.
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