Mirabeau Bridge, Appolinaire

Mirabeau Bridge,
Guillaume Apollinaire, Alcools (1913)

Under Mirabeau Bridge runs the Seine
with all our loves
need I recall
joy always comes after pain

Night rings the hour
days disappear, I remain

Hand in hand let us stand face to face
while under
the bridge of our arms pass
our eternal gaze a weary wave

Night rings the hour
days depart I remain

And love runs like this running water
sure as life drags
sure as hope's violence

Night rings the hour
days depart I remain

Days pass into weeks that pass
Neither times passed
nor my love return
Under Mirabeau Bridge runs the Seine.

Night rings the hour
days depart I remain.

Translation Third-Rate Poet, 2006.