Poetry written by Voltaire

"To Madame de Chatelet"

If you still want me to love you,

please give me the age of love;

< p>If possible, let my fading dusk turn into a vibrant dawn.

The wonderful country enjoyed by Dionysus and Love is no longer with me,

Time holds my hand and tells me,

I should retire to Linquan.

Let us learn some useful lessons from the irresistibility of time

Whoever’s mind demands age unreasonably,

< p>Whoever is bound to suffer great misfortune.

Let us leave this fun of playing

to the graceful young people,

We only live for two periods of time,

< p>Let some time be left to Mingzhe.

What! Tenderness, fantasy, madness

You will abandon me forever,

God’s gift, you only use the bitterness of life as a gift to me The consolation!

People die twice, I see clearly:

To stop loving and to stop being loved,

This is an unbearable death;

It is more painful than no longer living.

I regret the loss

The recklessness and mistakes in my early years;

My soul that is open to all kinds of desires.

I regret my madness that day.

Friendship fell from the sky with pity,

came to the world to help me;

It is probably also full of tenderness,

But it can’t compare to the madness of love.

I am soothed by its charm,

bathed in its brilliant brilliance,

I am following it diligently,

But I cried because I could only follow it anymore.