2]Poetry by Alphonse de LAMARTINE - L'humanité

valerianemusic

Baryton

valerianemusic

French cinematic folk, 1990s scoring

V6-WILD

[Introduction]
Part 2
Poetry by Alphonse de Lamartine - L'humanité - Jehova [1790 - 1869]
[Poem]
Humanity —
The bird, wild to everyone else,
Comes to nest beneath her windows,
Or, charmed by its slavery,
Perches upon her shoulders;
She feeds the turtle doves,
Runs her caressing fingers
Over the white satin of their wings,
Or, in a loving caprice,
She loves to have their neck quiver
Beneath her resounding kisses!
She appears, and all sighs,
Everything is troubled without her glance;
Her beauty spreads a delirium
That intoxicates the old man!
And as one sees the humble dust
Whirl about in the light
That fascinates it unwittingly!
Wherever this fair brow shines,
A breath of love surrounds
Her by whom man is conceived!
A man! A son, a king of all nature!
An insect born of mud and living upon light!
Who occupies but a point, who has but two moments,
Yet who by thought is master of the Infinite,
And endlessly pushing back the bounds of his being,
Extends through all space and lives in all times!
He is born, and at a glance he takes possession of the world,
Each of his needs subdues an element,
For him the ear germinates, for him the wave pours forth,
And fire, child of day, descends from the firmament!
The instinct of his weakness is his omnipotence;
For him even the insect is an object of dread,
Yet the scepter of the globe belongs to intelligence;
Man unites with man, and the earth has its king!
He looks, and day is painted in his eyelid;
He thinks, and the universe appears within his soul!
He speaks, and his accent, like another light,
Goes into another's soul to paint itself trait for trait!
He gives himself senses that nature forgot,
Throws a bridle on the wave of capricious wind,
Hurls death to the goal his calculation measures,
Probes the abysses of the skies with a crystal!
He writes, and the winds carry away his thought
Which goes into all the skies to live and commune!
And his invisible soul traced in living traits
Listens to the past speaking to the future!
He founds cities, immortal families;
And to support them he raises laws,
Which, the eternal columns of these monuments,
Divide the weight of the social temple!
After having conquered nature, he sighs;
For a more noble price his life has fought;
And his heart, still empty, disdaining its empire,
Invented virtue to equal the gods!
Smilingly he offers his life in sacrifice,
He confides in the God his eye does not see;
Guilty, he has the remorse that avenges justice,
Virtuous, a voice that applauds him in an undertone!
Greater than his destiny, greater than nature,
His satisfied needs do not suffice him,
His soul has destinies no eye can measure,
And glances carrying further than passing away!
He needs hope, and empire and glory,
The future for his name, altars for his faith,
Gods to entreat, truths to believe,
Skies and hells, and immortal days!
Yet time suddenly fails his worn life,
The shortened horizon lowers before him,
He feels his days dry up like an exhausted wave,
And his last sun has shone!
Behold him dying!... Seated on the shore
Beaten by the wave whence his ship must depart,
The pilot who knows the goal of his voyage
Does not await the zephyr with a more reassured heart!
One would say his eye, enlightened by hope,
Sees immortality gleaming on the other shore,
Beyond the tomb his virtue anticipates him,
And, certain of waking, the day wanes, he falls asleep!
And the stars no longer have a pure enough light,
And the Infinite no longer has a vast enough abode,
And the divine centuries a long enough career
For the soul of him who was but dust
And who had but a day!
Behold this instinct that announces him
Higher than dawn and night.
Behold the eternal answer
To the doubt that reproduces itself!
From the great book of nature,
If the letter, obscure to your eyes,
Does not betray Him in every place,
Ah! Man is the supreme book:
Within the fibers of his own heart
Read, mortals: There is a God!

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[Introduction] Part 2 Poetry by Alphonse de Lamartine - L'humanité - Jehova [1790 - 1869] [Poem] Humanity — The bird, wild to everyone else, Comes to nest beneath her windows, Or, charmed by its slavery, Perches upon her shoulders; She feeds the turtle doves, Runs her caressing fingers Over the white satin of their wings, Or, in a loving caprice, She loves to have their neck quiver Beneath her resounding kisses! She appears, and all sighs, Everything is troubled without her glance; Her beauty spreads a delirium That intoxicates the old man! And as one sees the humble dust Whirl about in the light That fascinates it unwittingly! Wherever this fair brow shines, A breath of love surrounds Her by whom man is conceived! A man! A son, a king of all nature! An insect born of mud and living upon light! Who occupies but a point, who has but two moments, Yet who by thought is master of the Infinite, And endlessly pushing back the bounds of his being, Extends through all space and lives in all times! He is born, and at a glance he takes possession of the world, Each of his needs subdues an element, For him the ear germinates, for him the wave pours forth, And fire, child of day, descends from the firmament! The instinct of his weakness is his omnipotence; For him even the insect is an object of dread, Yet the scepter of the globe belongs to intelligence; Man unites with man, and the earth has its king! He looks, and day is painted in his eyelid; He thinks, and the universe appears within his soul! He speaks, and his accent, like another light, Goes into another's soul to paint itself trait for trait! He gives himself senses that nature forgot, Throws a bridle on the wave of capricious wind, Hurls death to the goal his calculation measures, Probes the abysses of the skies with a crystal! He writes, and the winds carry away his thought Which goes into all the skies to live and commune! And his invisible soul traced in living traits Listens to the past speaking to the future! He founds cities, immortal families; And to support them he raises laws, Which, the eternal columns of these monuments, Divide the weight of the social temple! After having conquered nature, he sighs; For a more noble price his life has fought; And his heart, still empty, disdaining its empire, Invented virtue to equal the gods! Smilingly he offers his life in sacrifice, He confides in the God his eye does not see; Guilty, he has the remorse that avenges justice, Virtuous, a voice that applauds him in an undertone! Greater than his destiny, greater than nature, His satisfied needs do not suffice him, His soul has destinies no eye can measure, And glances carrying further than passing away! He needs hope, and empire and glory, The future for his name, altars for his faith, Gods to entreat, truths to believe, Skies and hells, and immortal days! Yet time suddenly fails his worn life, The shortened horizon lowers before him, He feels his days dry up like an exhausted wave, And his last sun has shone! Behold him dying!... Seated on the shore Beaten by the wave whence his ship must depart, The pilot who knows the goal of his voyage Does not await the zephyr with a more reassured heart! One would say his eye, enlightened by hope, Sees immortality gleaming on the other shore, Beyond the tomb his virtue anticipates him, And, certain of waking, the day wanes, he falls asleep! And the stars no longer have a pure enough light, And the Infinite no longer has a vast enough abode, And the divine centuries a long enough career For the soul of him who was but dust And who had but a day! Behold this instinct that announces him Higher than dawn and night. Behold the eternal answer To the doubt that reproduces itself! From the great book of nature, If the letter, obscure to your eyes, Does not betray Him in every place, Ah! Man is the supreme book: Within the fibers of his own heart Read, mortals: There is a God!

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