Mirabeau Bridge

Translated by Richard Wilbur

Under the Mirabeau Bridge there flows the Seine
            Must I recall
     Our loves recall how then
After each sorrow joy came back again

            Let night come on bells end the day
            The days go by me still I stay

Hands joined and face to face let's stay just so
            While underneath
     The bridge of our arms shall go
Weary of endless looks the river's flow

            Let night come on bells end the day
            The days go by me still I stay

All love goes by as water to the sea
            All love goes by
     How slow life seems to me
How violent the hope of love can be

            Let night come on bells end the day
            The days go by me still I stay

The days the weeks pass by beyond our ken
            Neither time past
     Nor love comes back again
Under the Mirabeau Bridge there flows the Seine

            Let night come on bells end the day
            The days go by me still I stay

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