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Paul Verlaine

An ancient terra-cotta Faun,
   A laughing note in ’mid the green,
Grins at us from the central lawn,
   With secret and sarcastic mien.

It is that he foresees, perchance,
   A bad end to the moments dear
That with gay music and light dance
   Have led us, pensive pilgrims, here.

Translated by Gertrude Hall

Online text © 1998-2008 Poetry X. All rights reserved.
From Poems of Paul Verlaine

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Tags, sometimes called “folksonomies,” are words that describe or categorize a poem, like “20th century modernism” or “Italian sonnet”. Tags can help you find poems that have something in common, based on how other people classify them.

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