the nightingale, the lilac

8:41 AM Posted by James Owens


Alexandru Macedonski
1854 - 1920




din Noapte de mai

Vestalelor, dacă-ntre oameni sunt numai jalnice nevroze,
E cerul încă plin de stele, şi câmpul încă plin de roze,
Şi până astăzi din natură nimica n-a îmbătrânit...
Iubirea, şi prietenia, dacă-au ajuns zădărnicie,
Şi dacă ura şi trădarea vor predomni în vecinicie...
Veniţi: privighetoarea cântă, şi liliacul e-nflorit


from May Night

Vestals, if pitiful humanity dies of neurosis,
The sky is yet full of stars, the field yet full of roses,
And nothing in nature has grown old, even now...
If love and friendship have turned to futility,
If hate and betrayal will prevail in eternity...
Come: the nightingale sings from the blooming lilac’s bough.

de Nuit de mai

Vestales, si les gens ne sont que tristes névroses,
Le ciel est toujours plein d’astres, le champ de roses.
Jusque aujourd’hui, rien en la nature n’a veilli.
Si l’amour et l’amitié se muent en usure,
Si la haine et la trahison gagneront le futur….
Venez: le rossignol chante, le lilas fleurit.
.

4 comments:

Gigi Thibodeau said...

This was exactly what I needed to read today, James. Thank you for the perspective.

James Owens said...

Hi, Gigi. Thank you for coming by and reading. I'm glad you liked this.

Roxana said...

oh, you didn't have the patience to wait :-)

i am sorry i couldn't :-(

i need more time to comment meaningfully

James Owens said...

Roxana: It's ok. I have very little ego invested in my French, which I know only a little, and even less in Romanian, which I am totally faking --- so blast this to bits, if that's the way it goes :-)