Love

Lest Anything Escape from our Embrace

by Emile Verhaeren 1855–1916

Translated by Jethro Bithell (1911) · From Contemporary Belgian Poetry (1911)

Love

Lest anything escape from our embrace,
Which is as sacred as a Temple's holy place,
And so that the bright love pierce with light the body's mesh,
Together we descend into the garden of your flesh.

Your breasts are there like offerings made,
You hold your hands out, mine to greet,
And nothing can be worth the simple meat
Of whisperings in the shade.

The shadow of white boughs caresses
Your throat and face, and to the ground
The blossoms of your tresses
Fall unbound.

All of blue silver is the sky,
The night is a silent bed of ease,
The gentle night of the moon, whose breeze
Kisses the lilies tall and shy.

MLA

Verhaeren, Emile. “Lest Anything Escape from our Embrace.” Translated by Jethro Bithell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/verhaeren/130/.

Chicago

Verhaeren, Emile. “Lest Anything Escape from our Embrace.” Translated by Jethro Bithell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/verhaeren/130/.

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