Arts & Sciences

Brittany

by José-Maria de Heredia 1842–1905

Translated by Edward Robeson Taylor (1913) · From Nature and Dream

Arts & Sciences

That joyous blood thy fretful mood may quell,
Thy lungs should deeply drink the Atlantic air
Perfumed with wrack the sea delights to bear.
Arvor has capes the surge besprinkles well,

And furze and heather all their glories tell.
The demons', dwarfs' and clans' own land so fair,
Friend, on the mountain's granite guard with care—
Immobile man near thing immutable.

Come. Everywhere on moors about Arez
Mounts toward heaven—cypress no hand can slay—
The menhir's column raised above the Brave;

And Ocean, that beds with algae's golden store
Voluptuous Is and mighty Occismor,
Will soothe thy sadness with his cradling wave.

✦ ✦ ✦

Taylor adds a note to this sonnet.

MLA

Heredia, José-Maria de. “Brittany.” Translated by Edward Robeson Taylor. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/heredia/101/.

Chicago

Heredia, José-Maria de. “Brittany.” Translated by Edward Robeson Taylor. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/heredia/101/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by José-Maria de Heredia