Quand la lune se joue, Dans le grand mimosas? Elle court sur la mousse Et ne se souvient pas Que partout on repousse L'enfant des parias; Le long des lauriers roses, Revant de douce choses, Ah! Elle passe sans bruit Et riant a la nuit. Labas dans la foret plus sombre, Quel est ce voyageur perdu? Autour de lui Des yeux brillent dans l'ombre, Il marche encore au hasard, e perdu! Les fauves rugissent de joie, Ils vont se jeter sur leur proie, Le jeune fille accourt Et brave leur fureurs: Elle a dans sa main la baguette ou tinte la clochette des charmeurs! L'etranger la regarde, Elle reste eblouie. Il est plus beau que les Rajahs! Il rougira, s'il sait qu'il doit La vie a la fille des Parias. Mais lui, l'endormant dans un reve, Jusque dans le ciel il l'enleve, En lui disant: 'ta place et la!' C'etait Vishnu, fils de Brahma! Depuis ce jour au fond de bois, Le voyageur entend parfois Le bruit leger de la baguette Ou tinte la clochette des charmeurs!
English Translation Where will the young Indian girl, daughter of the paraiahs, go when the moon dances In the large mimosas trees? She runs on the moss And does not remember That she is pushed around The child of outcasts; Along the oleanders, Dreaming of sweet things, Ah! She goes without noise And laughs a night. There in the dark forest Who is the lost traveler? Around him Eyes shining in the darkness, He wonders randomly, aimless and lost! The wild beasts roar of joy, They will pounce on their prey, The girl runs to him And braves their fury She has in her hand the baton with tinkle bell charms! The stranger looks at her, and remains dazzled. She is more beautiful than the Rajahs! He will blush if he knows he must owe his life to the daughter of the pariahs. But they fall asleep and drift into a dream, Up in the sky, they are transported, The traveler tells her: 'your place is here!' It was Vishnu, son of Brahma! From that day on, in the depths of the dark forest, a traveler may sometimes hear the slight noise of the baton with the tinkle bell charms!