In May,
1812 the Comte de Flahaut
Stopped in Lemberg on a mission
For Napoleon. His famous charm
Was so palpable that, when the Comte
Was indisposed, it would put on his cape
And stroll the boulevards on its own,
Nodding pleasantly to everyone.
Ninety years later, my grandmother
Was born in that city and in her dreams
Returned always to its wide streets.
Occasionally, Flahaut, Talleyrand's son,
Would detour through those dreams
But her heart remained stubbornly true
To the Emperor Franz Joseph.
Stopped in Lemberg on a mission
For Napoleon. His famous charm
Was so palpable that, when the Comte
Was indisposed, it would put on his cape
And stroll the boulevards on its own,
Nodding pleasantly to everyone.
Ninety years later, my grandmother
Was born in that city and in her dreams
Returned always to its wide streets.
Occasionally, Flahaut, Talleyrand's son,
Would detour through those dreams
But her heart remained stubbornly true
To the Emperor Franz Joseph.
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