They adored each other; but still the permanent and the immutable subsist. We may love and laugh, pout, clasp hands, smile, and exchange endearments, but that does not affect eternity. Two lovers hide in the dusk of evening, amid flowers and the twittering of birds, and enchant each other with their hearts shinning in their eyes; but the stars in their course still circle through infinite space.
In Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables," the author reflects on the profound yet fleeting nature of human affection. He highlights that while lovers can deeply cherish one another and share joyous moments, these emotions are transient compared to the vastness of eternity. Their love, though vibrant and full of life, exists within the confines of time and cannot alter the permanence of the universe.
Hugo poignantly captures the contrast between the intimate exchanges of lovers and the unchanging reality of the cosmos. As two individuals connect in love, surrounded by beauty and the sounds of nature, their deep feelings are ultimately small against the backdrop of an everlasting universe. This juxtaposition underscores a central theme of the novel: the struggle between love's fleeting joy and the relentless march of time and fate.
