Verlaine poem, published in Sagesse in 1881, “Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit...”, which was written in prison. The original:



Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit,
Si bleu, si calme!
Un arbre, par-dessus le toit,
Berce sa palme.

La cloche, dans le ciel qu’on voit,
Doucement tinte.
Un oiseau sur l’arbre qu’on voit
Chante sa plainte.

Mon Dieu, mon Dieu, la vie est là,
Simple et tranquille.
Cette paisible rumeur-là
Vient de la ville.

—Qu’as-tu fait, ô toi que voilà
Pleurant sans cesse,
Dis, qu’as-tu fait, toi que voilà
De ta jeunesse.




Find a English translation that might be better
The sky above the roof
so blue, so calm!
A tree above the roof
cradles its palm.

A bell in the sky out there
softly rings.
A bird in the tree out there
sadly sings.

My God, my God, that’s life,
simple, complete.
No sounds of strife,
just the hum of the street.

—What have you done, O you in there
weeping all day?
Say what you have done, you in there:
thrown your youth away.