it's not us who decide

t’s not us who decide
Of the order of stars,
Of the brightness of the Great Bear,
Nor the furtive appearance of a shooting star,

It’s not us who decide
Of the place of Jupiter in the sky,
The size of Saturn’s rings,
Or the duration of the day on Pluto,

It’s not us who decide
The composition of nitrogen and oxygen on earth,
Of the atmosphere on Pluto or Uranus,
Or the speed towards us of the galaxy of Sagittarius,


We do not decide the position of Cassiopeia,
Nor the speed of rotation of the sun,
We don’t decide our place in the universe
And we will never,

How is it that in the great din of the stars
we hear nothing, there is pure magic,
So let us be thankful to God for having been witnesses
of all this, for we will not change the order of the world.



Ce n’est pas nous qui décidons 
De l’ordre des étoiles,
De l’éclat de la Grande ourse,
Ni de l’apparition furtive d’une étoile filante,

Ce n’est pas nous qui décidons
De la place de Jupiter dans le ciel,
De la taille des anneaux de Saturne,
Ou de la durée du jour sur Pluton,

Ce n’est pas nous qui décidons
De la composition d’Azote et d’oxygène sur la terre,
De l’atmosphère sur Pluton ou Uranus,
Ou de la vitesse vers nous de la galaxie du Sagittaire,


Ce n’est pas nous qui décidons de la position de Cassiopée,
Ni de la vitesse de rotation du soleil,
Nous ne décidons pas de notre place dans l’univers
Et nous ne le ferons jamais,

Comment se fait il que dans le grand vacarme des étoiles
nous n’entendions rien, il y a là pure magie,
Alors soyons reconnaissants à Dieu d’avoir été témoins
de tout cela, car nous ne changerons rien à l’ordre du monde.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

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Dietrich Avatar
December 12, 2024 at 10:27 PM
This is very nice. So do you only translate mostly French poems? All the poems have the same flavor or style. Is it some famous French poet you really like?
Stone Avatar
November 26, 2024 at 10:22 AM
There's so much we can't change but can appreciate. Good poem.
Chapman  Avatar
October 26, 2024 at 2:53 PM
Well written! Sparking my thought's and imagination for more understanding about our world. Thank you!
blegh Avatar
September 22, 2024 at 12:03 PM
'How is it that in the great din of the stars we hear nothing, there is pure magic,' loved this verse. Pleasure reading
Rolland Avatar
September 22, 2024 at 2:33 PM
thanks XO, for the nice comment and visit, best wishes
Rodrigues Avatar
September 20, 2024 at 2:41 PM
All creation bespeaks there is a God…the God, the one Creator of all. There is no struggle for control of where the stars and the planets are. L’ordre du monde est l'affaire de Dieu! Blessings!
Rolland Avatar
September 21, 2024 at 5:29 AM
Thank you Kim, your french is wonderful, have a nice week end
Dietrich Avatar
September 20, 2024 at 7:31 AM
Love this. Great message
Rolland Avatar
September 21, 2024 at 5:29 AM
Thanks andrea for the supporting comment, have a nice week end
George Avatar
September 20, 2024 at 5:47 AM
So very right. We cannot effect any changes in the design of the world or alter the shape and structure of the heavenly bodies or influence their movements through their orbits. Everything is structured by God, the Master Architect. We can only thank him for controlling things in such an impeccable manner. A beautiful poem dear Yaan.
Rolland Avatar
September 21, 2024 at 5:31 AM
Thanks Valsa for the very clever comment, the master architect is a precious title havev a nice week end
Buhagiar Avatar
September 20, 2024 at 1:34 AM
So true. Though, I feel this world is ruined by its reckless behaviour.
Rolland Avatar
September 21, 2024 at 5:32 AM
i totally agree Victor, the world is ruined, may be that is the reason poets write poetry, have a nice week end yann
Buehler Avatar
September 19, 2024 at 10:03 PM
Very beautifully evoked, thought provoking and meaningful. It was pure pleasure reading this, Yann. :)
Rolland Avatar
September 21, 2024 at 5:33 AM
thanks for the beautiful comment evelyn, poetry has to be meaningful sometimes, your support is precious have a nice week end
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