I recited this to my husband on our wedding day:
Je chante le grand joie de te chanter
Le grande joie de t'avoir ou de ne pas t'avoir
La candeur de t'attendre, l'innocence de te connaitre
O toi qui supprimes l'oubli, l'espoir et l'ignorance
Qui supprimes l'absence et qui me mets a monde.
Tu es pure. Tu es plus pure que moi meme.
Please forgive if there are any errors, as I am rewriting simply from memory and I have not recited the entire poem in over four years.
The poem is by Paul Eluard. He was an amazingly romantic French poet. He can always make me swoon.
The English Translation:
I sing the great joy of singing you
The great joy of having you or not having you
The candor of waiting for you, the innocence of knowing you
You who efface forgetting, hope and ignorance
Who efface absence and who put me in the world
You are pure. You are purer than I am.
kitty maer said: Because of you, Angela, I may have to recant my lifelong proclamation of hatred for poetry... Oh, and thanks for wrecking my mascara. ;)
jessamyn harris said: beautiful! I remember hearing some of eluard's poems set to classical music in college... lovely. you are such a romantic!
Sinead said: C'est tellement beau, ca!
erich camping said: Angela, Very touching! Gary is a lucky guy! I never got a chance to talk poetry with you at Flourish. I read 'Letters to a Young Poet' by Rainer Maria Rilke. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Young-Rainer-Maria-Rilke/dp/0393310396 It is a fabulous book. I think you will enjoy it. Thank you again for all of your wisdom and sharing at Flourish!!!
Kimberly Reed said: Holy cow, that brought tears to my eyes. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Angela said: This poem is so dear to my heart. I am an absolute romantic. I will be sure to post some more of my favorite love poems soon!
Angela said: Erich, that is an amazing book. I read it back when I was in my teen years. It made me love Rilke. Rilke's poetry is some of my favorite work in the world. His Duino Elegies changed my whole concept of the use of language.
Christina said: I love that! I especially love the lines, "The great joy of knowng you or not knowing you The candor of waiting for you, the innocence of knowing you" It is so beautful!