I still hear the horn
Of the beautiful, all white ship
That, for all these weeks,
Goes from the Leeward Antilles.1
When the tide rose
It entered the old harbour.
I laughed, I was happy,
And my heart beat strong.
The wind sang on the dune
And played with the sea
Where the moon was reflected.
In the sky, all was clear.
The first to set foot on land
Was a young cabin boy,
The second, an old grandfather,
Then a man with three stripes.
Give me, o captain,
From that beautiful, all white ship
That came from far-off seas,
A handsome sailor to be my lover.
I will wait on the dune,
Over there, right next to the sea.
In the sky the moon will shine.
In my heart everything will be clear.
He came, magnificent,
With a flame... like God,
Coming from far-off tropics,
He knew marvellous words,
Picked out quite some ring for me,
Swore some eternal oaths
That the waves repeated
As they gently lapped the shore.
We were alone on the dune.
The wind caressed the sea.
In the sky the moon laughed
And he took a bite of my flesh.
He left on his ship,
His beautiful, all white ship,
And left without telling me,
One evening, at the setting of the sun.
I still hear the horn
Of the boat that took him away.
Its voice shouted, inhuman,
"You will not see him again!"
And ever since, beneath the moon,
I am going to hear the wind
That comes at night, beneath the dune,
To tell me about my lover.
1. Those are links to both the English and French references for the location.