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Butterfly - Translation Alphonse de LAMARTINE – Le Papillon


As born with Spring, with roses born away,
Breasting breeze’s wing to swing on high,
Upon bright buds’ breasts balanced, trembling play,
To drink and drown in perfume, light and sky.
To dust wings’ powder while still young and spry;
Earth flee, fly like a sigh the Milky Way, -
Rare fate, enchanted, of the Butterfly !
Fli(r)t, restless, like Desire, by night and day,
Loving all things, who none may satisfy,
Yearn ecstasy ? - then seek in Heaven,.... good-bye !











Author notes

Acrostic A BUTTERFLY
Acrostic Translation Alphonse de LAMARTINE – Le Papillon


pic: Brimstone Butterfly from the collection of Carl Linnaeus - thus 200 years old. Species possibly at the etymological origin of the term butter added to fly


Le Papillon




Naître avec le printemps, mourir avec les roses,
Sur l’aile du zéphyr nager dans un ciel pur ;
Balancé sur le sein des fleurs à peine écloses,
S’enivrer de parfums, de lumière et d’azur ;
Secouant, jeune encor, la poudre de ses ailes,
S’envoler comme un souffle aux voûtes éternelles ;
Voilà du papillon le destin enchanté :
Il ressemble au désir, qui jamais ne se pose,
Et sans se satisfaire, effleurant toute chose,
Retourne enfin au ciel chercher la volupté.



Extrait de “Méditations” Alphonse de Lamartine 1790_1869

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Comments


  • Shujaat A Rahi
    July 3

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    The use of alleteration in the poem (born, breasting breeze, bright buds' breasts balanced; drink and drown, dust; flee, fly, fate, etc.)is highly skilful.

    The aesthetic value of the piece brings it closer to a beautiful insect like a butterfly which makes her love by young and old alike. The world would have been much poorer without this beautiful aspect of Nature. Butterfly is tiny but its impact on our aestheic life is tremendous.

    Rahi

    . Rewarded 8


  • Night Hope gold member
    February 10

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    "Breasting breeze’s wing to swing on high,
    Upon bright buds’ breasts balanced, trembling play,
    To drink and drown in perfume, light and sky."

    Beautiful, delicate & profound, my Friend. This is such a lovely penning of tenderness, as fragile as a butterfly's wings & as shimmering as sunlight streaming through their silken stained glass. Gorgeous, Jonathan. Wanda


  • Lily otv
    October 26, 2007

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    I like watching the many different types of butterflies that visit my garden though the season for them appears to come and go so quickly. I think this poem has a light feel as if on butterfly wings and all too soon it was over as with the season. I think it's lovely to find poetry translated from one language to another but wish my French was better than it is.