Tomorrow, at dawn, at the hour when the countryside whitens,
I will set out. You see, I know that you wait for me.
I will go by the forest, I will go by the mountain.
I can no longer remain far from you.
I will walk with my eyes fixed on my thoughts,
Seeing nothing of outdoors, hearing no noise
Alone, unknown, my back curved, my hands crossed,
Sorrowed, and the day for me will be as the night.
I will not look at the gold of evening which falls,
Nor the distant sails going down towards Harfleur,
And when I arrive, I will place on your tomb
A bouquet of green holly and of flowering heather.
Demain, dès l'aube... Demain, dès l'aube, à l'heure où blanchit la campagne, Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends. J'irai par la forêt, j'irai par la montagne. Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps. Je marcherai les yeux fixés sur mes pensées, Sans rien voir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit, Seul, inconnu, le dos courbé, les mains croisées, Triste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit. Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe, Ni les voiles au loin descendant vers Harfleur, Et quand j'arriverai, je mettrai sur ta tombe Un bouquet de houx vert et de bruyère en fleur. Victor HUGO (1802-1885)
This is a bad translation of Demain, des l'aube. I do not feel the heat, the passion and the beauty in this poem. Read it in French, and you will feel its zing, and sparkles.
'' I will go by the forest, I will go by the mountain. [..] // Sorrowed, and the day for me will be as the night. // [..] // And when I arrive, I will place on your tomb A bouquet of green holly and of flowering heather. '' beautiful verse.. I simply can't understand the 'rating' (less than '5'! ?) voted by many..
That's because most readers do not understand this translated poem from French to English. A great deal of emotions were lost in translation. Demain, des l'aube, tomorrow at dawn, is probably the best poem in French literature. When people do not know, they either write nothing or something, which makes no sense. Victor Marie Hugo is probably the best French poet. He is my favorite writer, poet. And Demain des l'aube is my favorite poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
'You see, I know that you wait for me' led me to believe that the poet was talking about a living person. I only realised that he was mourning a dead person when I reached 'And when I arrive, I will place on your tomb'. It is a very poignant poem, very touching.