A systematic study of the temperature-dependent absorption spectra of Fz (CN ) defect pairs in a CsC1 host crystal is presented. At the lowest temperatures, two distinct absorption peaks are observed.As the temperature is increased, the separation of the peaks decreases, the relative oscillator strengths change, and the peaks broaden. These experimental results are explained by a simple model which considers that the nearly degenerate 2s and 2p, electronic states of the Fcenter are strongly mixed by the intrinsic and displacement dipole moments of the CN molecule. From this study, one obtains important parameters such as coupling constants, effective phonon mode frequencies participating in the absorption process, and a parameter describing the degree of 2s-2p, mixing, which are crucial for testing the physical models proposed for the electronic to vibrational energy-transfer process in this defect system.