Nuit Rhénane - Guillaume Apollinaire
Rhineland Night My glass is full of wine, trembling like a flame Listen to the slow song of the boatman Who tells of seeing seven women under the light of the moon Twisting their long green hair to their feet Standing, you sing louder and dance a round Until I no longer hear the boatman's song And put close to me all the blonde women With unwavering stares and neatened plaits The Rhine, the Rhine is drunk where the vines reflect all the gold of expired nights trembling in its reflection The voice sings, still chanting death These green-haired fairies who incant summer My glass broken like a burst of laughter. ... An English translation of Nuit Rhénane by Apollinaire. The translation is my own.