Antoine Van Dyck (variants)

ANTOINE VAN DYCK

Sweet pride of hearts, noble grace of things,
Shining in velvets, in glances, in woods,
Fine high language of posture and pose
Hereditary arrogance of women and kings!
You triumph, Van Dyck, prince of quiet gestures,
In all these beautiful creatures dead or living...
In every lovely hand that yet knows how to open
Without a qualm perhaps it...

Halts the horsemen beneath the pines, young duke
In shirt of pale blue, one hand on hip,
In the other a fruit plucked from the branch.
The rings on his fingers making beads of juice
... Melancholy.
Erect, yet at ease, in some green shelter
Their fine hair under a soft hat.
Sapphires holding back the satin of a cloak
Wear flames as sweet as their tranquil glance.

 


 

Sweet pride of hearts, noble beauty of things,
Shining in velvets, in glances, in woods,
Fine high language of posture and pose
Hereditary arrogance of women and kings!

You triumph, Van Dyck, prince of quiet gestures,
In all these beautiful creatures dead, living, to be born,
In every lovely hand that yet knows how to open
Without a qualm perhaps it...
(And heroes can no more die)
Halts the horsemen beneath the pines, young duke
(Seizing a fruit with its leaves in the branches)
In shirt of pale blue, one hand on hip,
In the other a fruit plucked from the branch
(mouth-watering citron)
The rings on his fingers making beads of juice
(Princes, young men) melancholy all
Erect, yet at ease, in some green shelter
Their fine hair under a soft hat.
(Jewels at their throat)
The sapphire holding back the satin of a cloak
Wears flames as sweet as their tranquil glance.

 


 

VAN DYCK

From the memories of the eyes to the bright oblivion of silks
- "Silences" of gaze or "quivers" of lace!
It is a song solemn and sweet as cellos
That console the exile and disregard joys;

Silence that is you and that speaks, adagio,
Such beauty! to the sleeping wood, that awoke Reynaldo,
That he may be blessed by it, the enchanter's mouse,
Reynaldo, player of the lyre, poet and singer.

 


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