Nature

The Rose and the Grave

by Victor Hugo 1802–1885

Translated by A. Lang (1888) · From Les Voix intérieures (1840)

Nature

The Grave said to the rose
"What of the dews of dawn,
Love's flower, what end is theirs?"
"And what of spirits flown,
The souls whereon doth close
The tomb's mouth unawares?"
The Rose said to the Grave.

The Rose said: "In the shade
From the dawn's tears is made
A perfume faint and strange,
Amber and honey sweet."
"And all the spirits fleet
Do suffer a sky-change,
More strangely than the dew,
To God's own angels new,"
The Grave said to the Rose.

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French: "La tombe dit à la rose." [XXXI., June 3, 1837.]

MLA

Hugo, Victor. “The Rose and the Grave.” Translated by A. Lang. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hugo/45/.

Chicago

Hugo, Victor. “The Rose and the Grave.” Translated by A. Lang. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hugo/45/.

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