Chanson d'Orkenise
Through the gates of Orkenise
a carter wants to enter.
Through the gates of Orkenise
a tramp wants to leave.
And the sentries of the town
rush up to the tramp and ask:
"What are you taking out of the town?"
- "I'm leaving my whole heart behind."
And the sentries of the town
rush up to the carter and ask:
"What are you bringing into the town?"
- "My heart: I'm getting married."
What a lot of hearts in Orkenise!
The sentries laughed and laughed.
Oh tramp, the road is dreary;
oh carter, love is heady.
The handsome sentries of the town
knitted superbly;
Then the gates of the town
slowly swung shut.
-- Guillaume Apollinaire (pictured above in a painting by Maurice de Vlaminck; translated by Peter Low)
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