Poetry by Christophe Paternoster
I try to embrace this blissful night,
Like two lovers lying in bed,
But only tears I can shed,
The hundredth time I shut the light.
Gloom cuddling into my chest,
Insomnia devouring my head,
Anguish messing with my nerves,
With nowhere to hide instead.
I try to embrace this blissful night,
But bright darkness burns my eyes.
I’ve asked the rain,
To give me a new name,
To baptize me again.
But it refused and spat on me.
So I asked the sun instead,
The beautiful, scorching sun,
But it refused and burned,
Me,
To my core.
Its landscapes were barren,
And the streets so flat,
An emptiness of wonders,
A bleak country,
Dull people,
Purposeless.
And I wander and see,
I wonder what I see,
A rain that doesn’t fall,
A fire that doesn’t burn,
A sun that can’t shine.
And I wander and hear,
I don’t know what I hear,
A music that doesn’t play,
A dog that doesn’t bark,
A wolf that can’t howl.
Am I senseless, deaf and blind?
Am I absent from the light?
Or have my senses betrayed me?
I don’t know,
I can’t hear,
And I can’t see.
There is a strange, deep agony in boredom,
A life going nowhere,
Like a dog trying to bite its own tail,
Or a boy smashing his toys against the floor.
There is a strange, deep agony in boredom,
Like a man, angry, beating the same wall,
Or a woman, tearing her hairs, one by one.
There is a strange, deep agony in boredom,
Like a drunkard trying to drink the last drop of his cheap whisky,
Or a loner talking about the strange, deep agony in boredom.
There is a strange, deep agony in boredom.
Lonely planet,
Above the Dark Sea,
As I dream your glory…
Crowning the wild stars,
Sovereign celestial bodies,
Unbroken beauty…
Pieces of my soul,
Crossing the cosmos,
Ships made of thoughts…
Living my love in blue,
A new soft affinity,
Exotic as you…
Starring at the sky,
Stuck on Earth,
Science is far too shy…
On my ship, I cross the romantic sea,
And leave a wake in the water,
When my feet touch the earth I see,
A party of dancing freebooters!
In the middle of this rave I saw you, pirate!
You fired at me with you gun and your eyes,
The bullet reached my chest and you stole my heart!
For yours, I’ll give you my most beautiful smile!
You refuse my present! Give me back my treasure!
You take my gold and run away!
Now your blurred silhouette is the ghost of my pleasure!
And I’m lost, alone, and betrayed…
I’ll create for you an ocean with my tears,
Where you can sail and steal all my possessions!
With tidal waves of grief and fear,
I’ll navigate towards you on the ship of passion!
I’ll recover my heart and take yours,
Oh I promise I’ll catch you, robber!
Like a giant reached by the hammer of Thor!
Then I promise, we’ll sail together!
Look at us and the beauty of the horizon,
From a vessel where we’re both captains!
Where we can share our fanciful creations,
You must admit it’s a good bargain!
Can your heart be ripped apart,
And then built again?
Can it still beat the same way,
After having bled away?
Can unshared love be light,
And carried with delight?
Can a gentle smile be all you need,
To keep alive the flame you feed?
Can joy be felt again,
And love maintained?
Can the stars be lit anew,
When far away from all you knew?
And then can I still love you,
With our two worlds drifting away?
If I’m a snake of earth,
And you a snake of fire,
Then my desires,
Might just be made of dirt.
I was born in a forest,
And you on a pyre,
I grew up as a poet,
While you built an empire.
I see you as an empress,
Who carried life through the blood stream,
While my life was modest,
And only filled with dreams.
Tu passes ta vie à pleurer les yeux fermés,
Je voudrais te les ouvrir vers la réalité,
Tu te mutiles au poison que tu bois,
Et la blessure est l’émotion je vois…
Une fois sur deux la lune t’aspire,
Une fois sur deux le soleil t’emporte,
Désormais seul l’état second t’inspire,
Et le liquide alcoolisé est la porte…
Mais le lendemain celle-ci s’efface,
Et tu te retrouves en prison,
Où le vomi est la seule trace,
D’une nuit comblée par la boisson…
Tu ne faisais qu’admirer la poignée,
Embrassant la porte sans jamais l’ouvrir,
Tes doigts glissant sur le sang des entailles du passé,
Qui, toujours présentes, gangrènent ton avenir !
Ne laisse pas les vers se nourrir,
Coupe le mal à la racine,
Tu n’es pas condamné à souffrir,
Lève les yeux, regarde le ciel, imagine…
English Translation
You spend your life crying with closed eyes,
I would like to open them to the reality,
You mutilate yourself with the poison that you drink,
And the pain is the emotion I see…
Every other day the moon breathes you in,
Every other day the sun carries you away,
From now on, only the drunkenness inspires you,
And the alcoholic liquid is the door…
But the day after it disappears,
And you find yourself in prison,
Where the vomit is the only trace,
Of a night gratified by the drink…
You only admired the door knob,
Kissing the door without ever opening it,
Your fingers slipping on the blood of the past wounds,
Which still present, turn your future gangrenous !
Don’t let the worms feed themselves,
Cut the evil at the root,
You are not condemned to suffer,
Raise your eyes, look at the sky, imagine…
Sometimes society impedes us from living,
Defeat, fear and despair seem to linger.
But we say that’s it, stop moaning, be Vikings!
It’s time for us to scream and to fight like masters!
Our passion is never going to be destroyed!
We are the warriors of a new musical atmosphere!
We think as individuals but move as a crowd!
As children of chaos we stand firm and cry no tears!
This is the power of heavy metal!
This is the truth in our heart!
That comes straight from our soul!
This is a true warrior art!
When our hearts suffer and howl,
And when our eyes begin to cry,
The deep song of a growl,
Is enough to make us smile!
Outside we walk and look ahead,
Feeling the cold wind on our skin.
Inside we mosh and bang our heads,
With music considered as sin!
This is the power of heavy metal!
This is the truth in our heart!
That comes straight from our soul!
This is a true warrior art!
When life oppresses us, metal is our shield!
Like a guardian as we stride!
The decibels invade the field,
And we face the battle full of pride!
Our instruments and voices are our spears!
In front of death, no hesitation,
There is no place for fear,
We are a minority with a strong devotion!
Don’t deny the power of heavy metal!
Listen to the song of your hearts!
That comes straight from your soul!
This is the true warrior art!
Frail figure,
Innocent eyes,
Appeasing smile,
Elegant gait,
Carressing hand,
Dusky mane.
Witness I,
Her almond gaze,
And her glory.
Simplicity,
Hiding treasures.