Hugo published “Oh! quand je dors” (“Ah, While I Sleep”) in 1840 in his volume of poetry Les rayons et les ombres. The relationship of Petrarch and Laura likely reflects the poet’s connection with Juliette Drouet, and by extension, the relationship of Liszt and Marie d’Agoult.
LOVE IS ART. LOVE IS TRANSCENDENCE.
Ah, while I sleep, come close to where I lie,
As Laura once appeared to Petrarch,
And let your breath in passing touch me ...
At once my lips
Will part!
On my sombre brow, where a dismal dream
That lasted too long now perhaps is ending,
Let your countenance rise like a star ...
At once my dream
Will shine!
Then on my lips, where a flame flickers—
A flash of love which God himself has purified—
Place a kiss and be transformed from angel into woman ...
At once my soul
Will wake!
Translation by Richard Stokes, 2018