ADVANCED. POETRY. 3.

HUGO DEMAIN, DS LAUBE

Demain, ds l'aube, l'heure o blanchit la campagne, Je partirai. Vois-tu, je sais que tu m'attends. J'irai par la for t, j'irai par la montagne. Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps. Je marcherai les !eu" fi"#s sur mes pens#es, $ans rien %oir au dehors, sans entendre aucun bruit, $eul, inconnu, le dos courb#, les mains crois#es, &riste, et le jour pour moi sera comme la nuit. Je ne regarderai ni l'or du soir qui tombe, 'i les %oiles au loin descendant %ers (arfleur, )t quand j'arri%erai, je mettrai sur ta tombe *n bouquet de hou" %ert et de bru!re en fleur. + septembre ,-./ Victor (ugo, Les Contemplations, ,-01. TRANSLATION &omorro2, at da2n, at the time 2hen the countr!side pales, 3 2ill lea%e. 4ou see, 3 5no2 that !ou are 2aiting for me. 3 2ill go through the forest, 3 2ill go through the mountain. 3 cannot remain far from !ou an! longer. 3 2ill 2al5 2ith m! e!es fi"ed on m! thoughts, $eeing nothing else, hearing no noise, 6lone, un5no2n, m! bac5 hunched o%er, m! hands folded, $ad, and the da! for me 2ill be li5e the night. 3 2ill not loo5 at the gold of the e%ening 2hich falls, 'or the sails in the distance going do2n to2ard (arfleur, 6nd 2hen 3 arri%e, 3 2ill la! on !our tomb 6 bouquet of green holl! and of heather in bloom.

Victor H !o 7,-89 : ,--0; is a <rench 2riter. (e=s as famous for his poetr! as his theater, his essa!s or his no%els. (e 2as a 5e! figure in the >omantic mo%ement in <rance. (e=s also 5no2n for being an engaged artist 2ho had to go into e"ile because of his 2ritings. 6s a no%elist, he 2rote %er! famous boo5s such as Notre Dame de Paris 7,-+,;, Les Misrables 7,-19;. 6s a poet, he 2rote Les Chtiments 7,-0+;, Les Contemplations 7,-01; or La Lgende des sicles 7,-0?;. 6s a theater 2riter, he 2rote Hernani 7,-+8; or Ruy las 7,-+-;. (is death, in ,--0, generated an intense national mourning @ he 2as reall! famous in his lifetime and this celebrit! ne%er stopped. (e=s toda! considered as a major <rench 2riter, one of the most important.

Ae can find this poem B Demain, ds l=aube C in Les Contemplations, a collection of ,0- poems about memories, lo%e, jo!, life, death and grief 2ritten bet2een ,-+8 and ,-00. &he collection 2as published in ,-01. 3n ,-.+, D#opoldine (ugo, his daughter fell into the $eine 2ith her husband 7the! married a fe2 months before; 2hile the! 2ere boating. &he! both dro2ned. &his traged! had a huge impact on Victor (ugo=s personalit! and it influences a lot his 2or5, notabl! his poetr! @ numerous poems are dedicated to D#opoldine=s memor!. B Demain, ds l=aube C is one of them. 3t=s a magnificent te"t in 2hich the poet is spea5ing to an anon!mous person and tells him E her he=s gonna ha%e a long long trip tomorro2 in order to meet him E her. &his person ma! be a %er! dear friend, ma!be a lo%er, as (ugo sa!s he can=t remain far from her. &he t2o last %erses onl! re%eal her identit! @ the poet is going to a cemeter! to put flo2ers on a gra%e. 6nd B demain C 2ill be the anni%ersar! of the death of D#opoldine, 7$eptember .th, ,-.+;.

6ube 7f#m.; @ da2n. Flanchir @ to 2hiten, to light up. 3nconnu @ un5no2n. Gourb# @ hunched, bent. Grois# @ crossed, folded. &ombe 7f#m.; @ gra%e. Fouquet 7masc.; @ bunch, bouquet. (ou" 7masc.; @ holl!. Fru!re 7f#m.; @ heather. (ere are some 2ords that belong to the "#$ic%" &i#"' o& t(# '#%t( @ Hort 7f#m.; @ death. Hort, morte @ dead. Hourir @ to die. D#cs 7masc.; @ death, decease. )nterrer @ to bur!. )nterrement 7masc.; @ burial, funeral. Gimetire 7masc.; @ cemeter!.

Host of the %erbs in this poem are at the & t r# t#)*# @ !e partirai" !#irai" !e marcherai" !e ne regarderai" !#arri$erai" !e mettrai. %e ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps. +# , i* is another form 7a literar! one; of !e peu& 7the %erb pou$oir at the first person of the present tense;. Je peu" is the onl! form that is 2idel! used. Fut at the interrogati%e form, 2e=re not allo2ed to as5 B Peu&'!e ( C. 3t=s 2rong. Ae sa! B Puis'!e I C 7formal question;, ) *st'ce +ue !e peu& I C 7standard question; or B %e peu& ( C 7informal question;.

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