| Samuel Waddington, comp. The Sonnets of Europe. 1888. | | | | Meditation | | By Charles Baudelaire (1821–1867) |
| | Translated by Arthur Reed Ropes
BE still, my sorrow, and be strong to bear; | |
| The evening thou didst pray for, now comes down, | |
| A veil of dusky air enfolds the town, | |
| Bringing soft peace to some, to others care. | |
| Now, while the wretched throngs of soulless clay, | 5 |
| Beneath the pitiless sting of pleasure’s whip | |
| Gather remorse in slavish fellowship, | |
| Sorrow, give me thy hand, and come away, | |
| Far from their noise. See the sad years deceased | |
| Lean from the sky in garb of bygone times, | 10 |
| Regret that smiles up from the river’s deep, | |
| The sun that sinks beneath the bridge to sleep, | |
| And hear the footsteps of the Night that climbs | |
| Like a long shroud, trailing across the East. | | | | |
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