Love
Come when I Sleep
Translated by Wm. W. Tomlinson (1888) · From Les Rayons et les ombres (1840)
Oh! when I sleep, come near my resting-place,
As Laura came to bless her poet's heart,
And let thy breath in passing touch my face--
At once a space
My lips will part.
And on my brow where too long weighed supreme
A vision--haply spent now--black as night,
Let thy look as a star arise and beam--
At once my dream
Will seem of light.
Then press my lips, where plays a flame of bliss--
A pure and holy love-light--and forsake
The angel for the woman in a kiss--
At once, I wis,
My soul will wake!
Codex Note
French: "Oh, quand je dors." [XXVII.]
Cite this poem
MLA
Hugo, Victor. “Come when I Sleep.” Translated by Wm. W. Tomlinson. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hugo/50/.
Chicago
Hugo, Victor. “Come when I Sleep.” Translated by Wm. W. Tomlinson. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hugo/50/.
Read this poem with the Codex →