Le Bois Amical / Paul Valéry

Le Bois Amical

Nous avons pensé des choses pures
Côte à côte, le long des chemins,
Nous nous sommes tenus par les mains
Sans dire... parmi les fleurs obscures ;
 
Nous marchions comme des fiancés
Seuls, dans la nuit verte des prairies ;
Nous partagions ce fruit de féeries
La lune amicale aux insensés
 
Et puis, nous sommes morts sur la mousse,
Très loin, tout seuls parmi l’ombre douce
De ce bois intime et murmurant ;
 
Et là-haut, dans la lumière immense,
Nous nous sommes trouvés en pleurant
Ô mon cher compagnon de silence !

Paul Valéry





The Friendly Wood

We were thinking of things pure,
side by side, along the paths,
we were holding hands
without speaking... among the dark flowers.

We strolled like a couple betrothed,
alone, in the green night of the fields,
sharing the fruit of fairyland
the moon friendly to madness.

And then we lay dead on the moss,
far away, all alone, in the soft shadows
of the intimate murmuring wood;

And above us, in the immense light,
we found ourselves weeping
oh my dear companion of silence!

Paul Valéry

Translated by C. F. MacIntyre & J. Laughlin





The Friendly Wood

Meditations pure were ours
Side by side, along the ways;
We held each other's hand without
Speaking, among the hidden flowers.

Alone we walked as if betrothed,
Lost in the green night of the fields;
We shared this fruit of fairy reels,
The moon, to madmen well disposed.

And then, we were dead upon the moss,
Far, quite alone, among the soft
Shades of this intimate, murmuring wood;

And there, in the vast light aloft,
We found ourselves with many a tear,
O my companion of silence dear!

Paul Valéry





El bosque amigo

En las sendas pensamos cosas puras,
uno al lado del otro, fugitivos,
cogidos de la mano, y pensativos
en medio de las flores más oscuras.

Íbamos solos, como enamorados,
entre la verde noche del sendero,
compartiendo el fugaz fruto hechicero
del astro que aman los enajenados.

Después, muy lejos, en la sombra densa
de aquel íntimo bosque rumoroso,
morimos -solos!- sobre el césped blando.

Y arriba, en medio de la luz inmensa,
¡oh, amigo del silencio más hermoso,
nos encontramos otra vez, llorando!

Paul Valéry

Versión de Andrés Holguín





L'ultimo Bosco

Avevamo pensieri puri
daccanto, lunghi sentieri;
ci tenevamo per le mani
senza dire... tra i fiori oscuri.

Camminare come due amanti
soli nella notte dei prati;
spartire te, frutto d’incanti
o luna degli smemorati.

Poi siamo morti sul muschio
soli soli nel dolce bosco
tra le grandi mormoranti;

e ci siamo ritrovati nei pianti
fratello mio di silenzio,
là in alto, nell’immensa luce.

Paul Valéry

(Traduzione di G. Bassani, 28 marzo 1937)





Dost Orman

Temiz şeyler düşündük, tertemiz;
Uzun yollar boyunca, beraber;
Eli elimde, yan yana, sessiz;
Çevremizde karanlık çiçekler.

Yapyalnız, kırda, yeşil gecede;
Yürüyorduk, nişanlılar gibi;
Gökte ay, masaldaki bir meyve;
Bölüştük o sihirli meyveyi.

Ve öldük yosunlar üzerinde,
Uzakta, yalnız o mırıltılı,
O dost ormanın gölgelerinde.

Sonra gökte, nurlarla sarılı,
Buldum seni, yaş dolu gözlerim,
Sevgili sükût yoldaşım benim.

Paul Valéry

Çeviri: Orhan Veli Kanık

(Dünya Şiir Antolojisi 1, S. 588)

Photo by Paul Hart