I Shall not Die for Thee
O woman, shapely as the swan,
On your account I shall not die:
The men you've slain — a trivial clan — Were less than I.
I ask me shall I die for these — For blossom teeth and scarlet lips — And shall that delicate swan-shape Bring me eclipse?
Well-shaped the breasts and smooth the skin,
The cheeks are fair, the tresses free — And yet I shall not suffer death,
God over me!
Those even brows, that hair like gold,
Those languorous tones, that virgin way,
The flowing limbs, the rounded heel Slight men betray!
Thy spirit keen through radiant mien,
Thy shining throat and smiling eye,
Thy little palm, thy side like foam — I cannot die!
O woman, shapely as the swan,
In a cunning house hard-reared was I:
O bosom white,
O well-shaped palm,
I shall not die!
Frank O'Connor translationI Shall Not Die I shall not die because of you, O woman, though you shame the swan; They were foolish men you killed; Do not think me a foolish man. Why should I leave the world behind For the soft hand, the dreaming eye, The scarlet mouth, the breasts of snow, Is it for these you'd have me die ? The joyous air, the fancy free, The slender palm, the eye of blue, The side like foam, the virgin neck ? I shall not die because of you. The devil take the golden hair! The maiden thought, the voice so gay, The rounded heel, the pillared calf Only some foolish man would slay. O woman, though you shame the swan, A wise man taught me all he knew, I know the subtleties of love, I shall not die because of you.
Padraic Colum
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