Jean-Yves Masson: The Angel (From French)

The Angel
By Jean-Yves Masson
Translated by A.Z. Foreman
Click to hear me recite the original French

The angel said “Now to the terrace where the wind 
turns, come. Draw nearer to my mystery.
I am the moment reuniting all the dead.
You must struggle against me. No greatness is given
him who would keep his word if he does not throw
down a shadow gauntlet to time that binds him by its law.”
Approaching angel, I know you as the sea,
As the gravity of temples and the youth of doves.
I shall stand against you. I shall be strong.
And how small my defeat if I come to
the future garden hands filled with burgeoning fruits.

The Original:

L'Ange Disait

L'ange disait :"Sur la terrasse où le vent tourne,
viens maintenant, approche-toi de mon mystère,
je suis l'instant qui réunit tous les morts.
Tu devras lutter contre moi. Nulle grandeur
n'est donnée à qui veut tenir parole, s'il ne lance
un défi d'ombre au temps qui le tient sous sa loi. "
Ange qui viens, je te connais comme la mer,
comme la gravité des temples et la jeunesse des colombes,
je me dresserai contre toi. Je serai fort.
Et peu m'importe ma défaite si je viens
au jardin d'avenir, les bras chargés de fruits naissants.