For a long time I lived beneath the immense porticoes

For a long time I lived beneath the immense porticoes

That the sea-suns dyed with a thousand rays,

And whose great columns, erect and majestic,

At night seemed just like basalt grottoes.

The rolling waves tossing the celestial images

Blended in a solemn and mystic way

The all-powerful chords of their rich music

Coloured like the sunset reflected in my eyes

It is there, there that I lived in tranquil luxury

In the midst of the azure, the waves and the wonders,

And the nude slaves imbued with fragrance

Who refreshed my brow with palm leaves,

And whose sole purpose was to understand in depth

the agonising secret that made me suffer.