To E...

O you, hot as hell’s fire,

O you, cold as winter’s mire,

Warm and hard, you might be made of iron

And foam,

Warm and hard as foam

And iron, so hard and warm,

Go! be yourself! Strong winds storm

You, winds of spring prise

And autumn, and so many south winds rise

And zephyrs traumatize,

In your big Mahometan eyes

Of a Catholic girl

That I remain melancholical

And joyous, and with no more madrigal

Oblique, I love you!

Your answer tell,

Angelic devil!

Paul Verlaine