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© by Yves Bonnefoy (1923 - 2016)
Translation © by John Plant

Yesterday, the unendable
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
Our life, these paths
which summon us
into the coolness of meadows 
where water glistens.

We see some of them wandering
at the tops of the trees,
just as, in our sleep, the dream searches 
for its alternate land.

They go on; their hands are full 
of a golden dust.
They open their hands
and night falls.

Text Authorship:

  • by John Plant , "Yesterday, the unendable", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by Yves Bonnefoy (1923 - 2016), copyright ©
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

    [ None yet in the database ]


Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2023-03-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 57

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