Love
Impression Fausse
Translated by Gertrude Hall (1895) · From Parallèlement (1889)
Dame mouse patters
Black against the shadow grey;
Dame mouse patters
Grey against the black.
Hear the bed-time bell!
Sleep forthwith, good prisoners;
Hear the bed-time bell!
You must go to sleep.
No disturbing dream!
Think of nothing but your loves:
No disturbing dream,
Of the fair ones think!
Moonlight clear and bright!
Some one of the neighbors snores;
Moonlight clear and bright--
He is troublesome.
Comes a pitchy cloud
Creeping o'er the faded moon;
Comes a pitchy cloud--
See the grey dawn creep!
Dame mouse patters
Pink across an azure ray;
Dame mouse patters....
Sluggards, up! 'tis day!
Cite this poem
MLA
Verlaine, Paul. “Impression Fausse.” Translated by Gertrude Hall. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/verlaine/43/.
Chicago
Verlaine, Paul. “Impression Fausse.” Translated by Gertrude Hall. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/verlaine/43/.
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