Last Wish
by Théophile Gautier
A long time have I known you… Why,
Full eighteen years, I must confess!
All pink are you; pale, blear am I.
Winters, mine; yours, spring’s comeliness!
White cemetery lilacs sprout
Over my temples; but soon, now,
The grove entire will bloom about
My head, to shade my withered brow.
Pallid, my sun sinks low, and will
Soon fade on the horizon’s face;
And on the mournful, doleful hill
I see my final dwelling-place.
Oh! May you from your lips let fall
A kiss, too long delayed, upon
My own, so that beneath my pall
I may rest, heart at peace, anon…
Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) was a 19th-century French writer, poet and art critic. He is best known for his writings on the Romantic movement and its influence on French literature. His most famous works include “Mademoiselle de Maupin” and his poems such as “The Comedy of Death”.