Wednesday, August 2, 2017

The Gypsy Woman



The Gypsy Woman


The gypsy knew in advance
Our lives are crossed by nights
We bade her fare-thee-well and then
Hope withdrew from these wells

Clumsy as a tame bear love
Danced upright whenever we wished
And the bluebird molted its feathers
And the mendicants lost their Ave

We all know well enough we’re damned
But hope of love along the way
Makes us ponder hand in hand
What the gypsy had foretold


Apollinaire “La tzigane”
Translation by Jack Hayes © 2017



Image links to its source on Wiki Commons:
“Gitana de perfil” (“Profile of a Gypsy”): Isidre Nonell  (1872–1911). Oil on canvas; 1902. Public domain.



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