Love
Roses and Butterflies
Translated by W.C. Westbrook (1888) · From Les Chants du crépuscule (1849)
The grave receives us all:
Ye butterflies and roses gay and sweet
Why do ye linger, say?
Will ye not dwell together as is meet?
Somewhere high in the air
Would thy wing seek a home 'mid sunny skies,
In mead or mossy dell--
If there thy odors longest, sweetest rise.
Have where ye will your dwelling,
Or breath or tint whose praise we sing;
Butterfly shining bright,
Full-blown or bursting rosebud, flow'r or wing.
Dwell together ye fair,
'Tis a boon to the loveliest given;
Perchance ye then may choose your home
On the earth or in heaven.
Codex Note
French: "Roses et Papillons." [XXVII., Dec. 7, 1834.]
Cite this poem
MLA
Hugo, Victor. “Roses and Butterflies.” Translated by W.C. Westbrook. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hugo/40/.
Chicago
Hugo, Victor. “Roses and Butterflies.” Translated by W.C. Westbrook. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hugo/40/.
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