On the Death of a Young Girl

Thoughts of a death at a young age, as a friend of mine writes in his blog, have shifted towards this English Translation of a French poem.

On the Death of Young Girl

Though childhood's days were past and gone
More innocent no child could be;
Though grace in every feature shone,
Her maiden heart was fancy free.

A few more months, or haply days,
And Love would blossom, - so we thought,
As lifts in April's genial rays
The rose its clusters richly wrought.

But God had destined otherwise,
And so she gently fell asleep,
A creature of the starry skies,
Too lovely for the earth to keep.

She died in the earliest womanhood;
Thus dies, and leaves behind no trace,
A bird's song in a leafy mood, -
Thus melts a sweet smile from a face.

Toru Dutt

Toru Dutt was born on March 4, 1856 in Bengal and she died on August 30, 1877, in the prime of her youth, at 21. Probably she foresaw her own death and translated these wonderful verses from French Poetry (A Sheaf Gleaned in French Poetry - Collection of Poems of Toru Dutt) -