Moored at the quay, the great vessels
That quietly bend to the swell,
Pay no regard to the cradles
Rocked by feminine hands.
But the day of parting will come,
For the tears of the women must be,
Whilst horizons draw inquisitive men
Tempted by the allure of the sea.
And on that day, great vessels afloat
Leaving the harbour receding from view,
Will feel their bulk drawn back to the port
By the soul of far away cradles they knew.
René-François Sully-Prudhomme (1839- 1907) France
Translated by David Paley
Source: Poems Without Frontiers - Poems in Translation
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