However, the “we” does not make immediate sense. The stanza continues with the literal translation of lines eight through ten: While under The bridge of our arms flows A wave of endless looks that are weary… (Larousse)
The reader can now understand that the “we” referred to in the first line of this stanza must be in reference to the speaker’s love. The imagery of “the bridge of our arms”, the action “flows,” and the image of “a wave of endless looks” (Larousse) all pay tribute to the opening line concerning the Seine flowing under the Mirabeau bridge. The pointed references to rivers and bridges all illustrate how the Mirabeau bridge and the Seine are the unifiers of the poem. In the fifth stanza, the speaker states in the thirteenth line that, “Love is leaving as this water flows” (Larousse), another pointed reference combining the themes of love and water. The idea that “Love is leaving” (Larousse) is repeated in the second line, and then is continued on with the literal translation of lines fifteen and sixteen: As life is slow And as Hope is violent…