O our king, for the delights

Grant us again your palaces, your gardens, your fountains,  

And your golden terraces where the sea of evening breaks,  

And your magic forest where in the night you lead  

The silver Unicorn, the Wyvern, and the black Fawn.  

Grant us again the sweetness of your dead Brides  

Who sleep in the tomb of your soul and who lie  

Under the double lock of gates and doors—  

Your regret, your posthumous love, and your shiver.  

We, who are the eternal Letter of the Book—  

Symbol null, if no one reads the sleeping word!—  

Be the spirit that impresses and stirs and gives life,  

And the triumphal Love that saves from death.  

Tie our hair as a pennant to your standard,  

Sweet knight, dream through us your scattered dream,  

And come to us through life and through chance—  

We are the Mirror and the Amphora and the Lamp.  

Henri de Regnier, 1890