Prelude To 'Poems Of The Sea' Poem by Joseph Autran

We are the deep waves
Where the eyes plunge in vain;
We are the waves and waves
Which revolve around the worlds
Their coats of blue foam!

A great soul breathes in us,
It raises our midst;
Sty the north wind, as the Zephyr,
We are the largest grouse
Singing a hymn to the thrice-holy.

Piled by the storms,
Rendered in quiet, in turn,
We exhale savage cries
Who will soon be on the shores
End in sighs of love.

It is we who wear our tops
The messengers of the nations,
Bronze vessels of the masts sublime
As light to our depths
That humble nest kingfishers.

On these vessels if God starts,
Terrible we base on them;
Then we walk in silence
Delicate balance that the boat
A couple of kids in love!

It is we who from one bank to another
Let's take the bold;
The merchant, the warrior, the apostle,
Have a road is ours,
To change the earth and heaven.

Our depths, God devotes
In his mysterious work
In our stringers full of bitter salt,
It spreads both hands nacre,
The amber, pearl and coral.

Lawns, foliage networks,
Giant trees filled with guests,
Hideous monsters, beautiful shells,
Life is everywhere on our beaches,
Life is everywhere in our beds.

We love you, woods and hedges,
On which we pour your perfume!
We love you, humble families,
Which the edges of our chaste girls
Waiting for their fiancés brown!

Vessels covered with white cloths,
Reflections of cities and mountains,
Spring days pure and sails
Summer nights, rich in stars,
We love you! we love you!

But our love are concerned,
And we often prefer
The black sky, the flight of storms,
And the singing of seagulls pale
That before the wind and rocks.

We like to see the lightning in the shadows
That tear his javelins,
And fear of the ship sinking
By throwing a strike dark
The art of the sailors!

We are the deep waves
Where the eyes plunge in vain;
We are the waves and waves
Which revolve around the worlds
Their coats of blue foaming.