Merciless fever, I must lose,
in your abysses red and black,
my soul; and in your depths I´ve seen
the wild green fairy´s eyes of green.
She is our sea-pale, sombre Muse.
The lute and the goblet she shall crack,
and coil herself about our neck,
a serpent, evil and obscene!
Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera, 1887
Translator: Timothy Adès