La Noyée

You drift away
On the river of memory
And me, running on the shore,
I shout for you to come back
But slowly, you move away
And in your frantic race,
Little by little, I regain
A bit of lost ground.

From time to time, you sink
Into the shifting liquid
Or, brushing against some brambles,
You hesitate and wait for me
Hiding your face
In your hitched-up dress,
Afraid that shame and regrets
Will disfigure you.

You are nothing but a poor wreck,
A dead dog in the water
But I remain your slave
And dive into the stream
When the memory stops
And the ocean of forgetfulness,
Breaking our hearts and heads,
Forever unites us.