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.

L'océan sonore

Palpite sous l'oeil

De la lune en deuil

Et palpite encore,

Tandis qu'un éclair

Brutal et sinistre

Fend le ciel de bistre

D'un long zigzag clair!

Et que chaque lame,

En bonds convulsifs

Parmi les récifs,

Va, vient, luit et clame!

Et qu'au firmament,

Où l'ouragan erre

Rugit le tonnerre

Formidablement.

Paul Verlaine

The resonant ocean

Throbs under the eye

Of the grieving moon

And throbs still.

While a flash of lightning,

Brutal and sinister,

Splits apart the bistre sky

With a long and bright zigzag!

And each blade,

In convulsive leaps

Amid the reefs,

Comes and goes, glows and clamours!

And up to the firmament

Where the hurricane roams,

The thunder roars

Tremendously.