The English version presented below is a literal, word-for-word translation. It attempts to preserve the poet's word order as far as possible, for a better appreciation of the composer's musical treatment of individual words and phrases.

Ton sourire infini m'est cher

Comme le divin pli des ondes,

Et je te crains quand tu me gronds,

Comme la mer.

L'azur de test grands yeux m'est cher:

C'est un lointain que je regarde

Sans cesse et sans y prendre garde,

Un ciel de mer.

Ton courage léger m'est cher:

C'est un souffle vif où ma vie

S'emplit d'aise et se fortifie,

L'air de la mer.

Enfin ton être entier m'est cher,

Toujours nouveau, toujours le même;

Ô ma Néréide, je t'aime

Comme la mer!

Sully-Prudhomme

Your boundless smile is dear to me

Like the divine fold of the waves,

And I fear you when you scold me,

Like the sea.

The azure of your large eyes is deaer to me.

It is a distance that I look into

Without ceasing and without heeding,

A sky of the sea.

Your light courage is dear to me:

It is a lively breath in which my life

Fills itself easily and is fortified,

The air of the sea.

Finally, your whole being is dear to me,

Always new, always the same;

O my Nerid, I love you

Like the sea!