One Evening

One Evening

One Evening
Alcools: Un soir

Anonyme

Guillaume Apollinaire

Translation A.S. Kline

 



                

 
An eagle descends from this sky white with archangels
          And you sustain me
Let them tremble a long while all these lamps
          Pray pray for me

 
The city’s metallic and it’s the only star
          Drowned in your blue eyes
When the tramways run spurting pale fire
          Over the twittering birds
 

And all that trembles in your eyes of my dreams
          That a lonely man drinks
Under flames of gas red like a false dawn
          O clothed your arm is lifted

 
See the speaker stick his tongue out at the listeners
          A phantom has committed suicide
The apostle of the fig-tree hangs and slowly rots
          Let us play this love out then to the end

 
Bells with clear chimes announce your birth
                              See
The streets are garlanded and the palms advance
                              Towards thee