Le Colibri (The HummingBird)

Le vert colibri,        le roi des collines,
The Green Humming Bird the king of the hills
Voyant la rosée et le soleil clair,
see    the dew and  the sun  clear
Luire dans son nid tissé d'herbes fines,
glow  in   its nest woven herbal  fine
Comme un frais rayon s'échappe dans l'air.
like   a  fresh ray   escape   into the air
Il se hâte et vole aux sources voisines,
it  hasten and fly to  source  neighbours

Où les    bambous font le bruit de la mer,
where the bamboos are the noise of the sea
Où l'açoka rouge aux odeurs divines
where Asoka red  of   smell  divine
S'ouvre et porte au coeur un humide éclair.
it open and door of heart a  humid  flash 
Vers la fleur dorée,  il descend,    se pose,
to   the flower golden the descend , torises
Et boit tant d'amour dans la coupe rose,
and drink much love  on   the cut rose
Qu'il meurt, ne sachant s'il l'a pu tarir! 
it     die   not  knowing  it could  dry
Sur ta lèvre pure, ô ma bien-aimée,
on  his lips  pur  o my beloved
Telle aussi mon âme eut voulu mourir,
this  also  my soul  had wanted die
Du premier baiser qui l'a parfumée.

you first  kiss   that  a perfume

(English Translation by Peter Low)

The hummingbird, the green prince of the heights,
feeling the dew and seeing the sun's clear light
shining into his nest of woven grass,
shoots up in the air like a gleaming dart.

Hurriedly he flies to the nearby marsh
where the waves of bamboo rustle and bend,
and the red hibiscus with the heavenly scent
opens to show its moist and glistening heart.

Down to the flower he flies, alights from above,
and from the rosy cup drinks so much love
that he dies, not knowing if he could drink it dry.

Even so, my darling, on your pure lips
my soul and senses would have wished to die
on contact with that first full-fragrant kiss.