And then I sat me down, and gave the rein
To my wild thoughts, till many a song that rang
From boughs around where hidden warblers sang
Recalled me from myself; then “Oh! in vain,”
I said, “do these outpour the tender strain?
Can these sweet birds that with such airs harangue
Their feathered loves, like me, feel sorrow’s pang?
Ah! would that I, like them, had pinions twain!
Straight would I fly to her whom I love best,
Nor vainly warbling in the woodland sing,
But chirp my prayer, and preen my plumèd crest,
And to this spot once more her beauty bring,
And flutter round her flight with supple wing,
And lead her to my secret leafy nest.”
Gustaf Rosenhane (1619–1684) Sweden
Translated by Edmund Gosse
Source: The Sonnets of Europe: A Volume of Translations, selected and arranged, with notes by Samuel Waddington, Walter Scott, 1888
To my wild thoughts, till many a song that rang
From boughs around where hidden warblers sang
Recalled me from myself; then “Oh! in vain,”
I said, “do these outpour the tender strain?
Can these sweet birds that with such airs harangue
Their feathered loves, like me, feel sorrow’s pang?
Ah! would that I, like them, had pinions twain!
Straight would I fly to her whom I love best,
Nor vainly warbling in the woodland sing,
But chirp my prayer, and preen my plumèd crest,
And to this spot once more her beauty bring,
And flutter round her flight with supple wing,
And lead her to my secret leafy nest.”
Gustaf Rosenhane (1619–1684) Sweden
Translated by Edmund Gosse
Source: The Sonnets of Europe: A Volume of Translations, selected and arranged, with notes by Samuel Waddington, Walter Scott, 1888
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please keep your comments relevant and free from abusive language. Thank you. Note that comments are moderated so it may be a day or two before your comment is posted - irrelevant or abusive comments will not be published.