Graffiti in Translation - Digital Collections
101
Wesleyan University The Honors College Graffiti in Translation by Laura Elizabeth Hess Class of 2016 A thesis submitted to the faculty of Wesleyan University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Departmental Honors from the College of Letters and with Departmental Honors in French Studies Middletown, Connecticut April, 2016
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Transcript of Graffiti in Translation - Digital Collections
WesleyanUniversity TheHonorsCollege
GraffitiinTranslationby
LauraElizabethHessClassof2016
AthesissubmittedtothefacultyofWesleyanUniversity
inpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsfortheDegreeofBachelorofArts
withDepartmentalHonorsfromtheCollegeofLettersandwithDepartmentalHonorsinFrenchStudies
Middletown,Connecticut April,2016
Acknowledgements
Iwouldliketothankthosewithoutwhomthisprojectwouldnothavebeen
successful:
IndiraKaramcheti,forkindlyencouragingandadvisingmyinitialtranslations.
JosephFitzpatrick,forhisastutecriticisminfinessingtheEnglishpoems.
KachigTölölyanandtheTölölyanFund,fortheirgreatgenerosity.
TyphaineLeservot,forintroducingmetoDamas’work.
TheCollegeofLetters,forencouragingmetotakeacademicrisks.
BilindaButcher,ColmÓCíosóig,DebbieGooge,andKevinShields,forcreating
franticyetmesmerizingwritingmusic.AurelioMartinez,forhisAfro-Caribbean
rhythms.DavidBowie,mayherestinpeace.
WyMingLin,ShyleMehta,andJoshuaWeinberg,forhelpingkeepourhouse
(mostly)clean.
Elizabeth,Thomas,andWilliam,fortheircontinuedsupportfromthebeginning.
Contents
Acknowledgements..........................................................ii
Introduction:Léon-GontranDamasandGraffiti..............................iv
Translator’sPreface.........................................................xvii
GRAFFITI....................................................................1
IndextoPoemsByFirstLine:French........................................67
IndextoPoemsByFirstLine:English........................................69
WorksCited.................................................................71
iv
Introduction:Léon-GontranDamasandGraffiti
I.
Léon-GontranDamaswasoneofthefoundingfathersofthenegritude
movement,aculturalmovementoftheblackfrancophonediasporathat
addressedracialissues,affirmedthevalueofblackartsandculture,and
criticizedEuropeancolonialism.HegrewupinabourgeoishouseholdinFrench
GuianaandcompletedacolonialFrencheducation,whichgavehimanew
perspectiveforunderstandingtheconsequencesofcolonialisminhishomeland.
WhilestudyinginParis,hemetAiméCésaireandLéopoldSédarSenghor,the
othertwofoundingfathersofthenegritudemovement.Thethreefriends
influencedeachother,andalleventuallytookpoliticaloffice,whichmakesit
surprisingthatCésaireandSenghorhavesinceeclipsedDamas.Hisrelative
obscurityismainlyduetohiscareerinacademiaratherthanpoliticsinlaterlife
–awayfromthepubliceye–andtonegativereviewsfromcriticsregardinghis
laterpoetry.Damas’workhasbeenundervaluedbecausehedepartsfromthose
critics’narrowexpectationsofwhathisworkshouldbe.Weshallexamine
Damas’backgroundandcareer,andtheimpactofGraffiti,tounderstandwhyit
isworthyofstudybyawider,Anglophoneaudience.
Damashadadifficultrelationshipwithhischildhood.Hisfamilywas
financiallystable,butlikemostofthemiddle-class,bi-racialpopulationinearly
v
twentieth-centuryGuiana,theyraisedhimtoactlikeawhite,Frenchchildand
represshisblackness.BridgetJoneswritesofDamas’childhood,“Hehas
expressedveryforciblyhispainatbeingmouldedintoanassimilébyhis
upbringingasachild;theconstantpressurefromhomeandschooltospeak,
behaveandifpossiblethinklikeawhiteFrenchman”(Jones31).Thisconfusion
andfrustrationwouldlatermanifestitselfinhispoetry.Manycriticscitethe
poem,“Hoquet,”fromPigments,asanexampleofthischildhoodpain.In
“Hoquet”(Hiccup),thespeaker’sparentsadmonishhimforforgettinghisFrench
tablemanners,fornotspeakingFrenchenough,forassociatingwithan
unbaptizedchild,forplayingthebanjoinsteadoftheviolin,andforgenerally
acting“tooblack.”Itculminateswithtwoparticularlyharshlines,presumably
deliveredbythespeaker’smother:“lesmulâtresnefontpasça/laissezdoncça
auxnègres”1(Pigments38).InGraffiti,wefindanevolutionofthisangerin“Il
mesouvientencore.”There,Damaspokesfunattheveryestablishmentsthat
troubledhimasachild,byreimaginingtheCatholiccommunionthrougha
sexualizedlens.
AsDamasgrewup,hewasexposedtonewspheresofFrench-influenced
societyinotherplaces.HeattendedsecondaryschoolonMartiniqueatthe
LycéeSchoelcher,wherehefirstmetAiméCésaire.Inadditiontomeeting
Césaire,whomhecalledhis“bestfriend”ina1971interview(“LaNégritudeen
question”13),DamaswasintroducedtothepoetsoftheHarlemRenaissance,
whowouldbecomesomeofhisbiggestinfluences:
1“mulattoesdon’tdothat/leavethattotheblacks”
vi
AstheirteacherofEnglish,theyhadayoungMartinicanpoet,
GilbertGratiantwhoinitiatedthemtoblackAmericanpoetry.It
wasattheLycéeSchoelcher,mostlyattendedbywhite
Martinicans,thatDamasfirstbecameawareofracialdifferenceas
aresultoftheirhumiliatingremarksandattitudealthough,asa
Guyanese,hewasmoreeasilyadmittedamongthesocalled
“béké”2circleandhadfriendsamongthemwhenblack
Martinicanswererarelyintroducedtotheirsociety.3(Racine,
“LeonGontranDamasandAfrica”49)
WhileDamaswasfinallyexposedtoblackpoetrythatresonatedwithhim,atthe
sametime,heexperiencedtheprofoundracialinequalityinherenttotheracially
dividedsocialsystemsimposedbyimperialFrance.Asabi-racialboy,Damas
foundhimselfprivilegedoverhispeerswhowereconsideredcompletelyblack;
yetcolonialadministratorssawallwhowerenotexclusivelywhitesimplyasa
black“other.”
DamasmovedtoParistocontinuehisstudies,therebycompletinghis
educationinthecolonialmodel,whosegoalwastoplacehimamongtheranksof
“lesévolués”–thetermforthefullyEuropeanized,white-collaréliteofthe
Frenchcolonies.There,hisexperiencesofracialinequalityunfortunately
2Theterm“békés”referstothewhitedescendantsoftheoriginalslaveownerswhoarrivedintheCaribbeangenerationsbeforetogrowandsellsugarcane,andwhocontinuetocontrolalargepartofMartinique’seconomytoday.3FormoreinformationonracialterminologyandclassificationinMartinique,seeIsabelleMichelot’sarticle“DuNegnweauBekeGoyave,lelangagedelacouleurdelapeauenMartinique.”
vii
becamemorepronounced,andthefrustrationhefeltaboutthisbecamea
commonthemeinhispoetry.However,inParis,heencounteredotheryoung,
blackuniversitystudents,suchasCésaireandSenghor,andbecamepartofan
“elect,”similartotheconceptofthe“talentedtenth”inAmerica(SeeRabaka).
Throughthejournal,L’EtudiantNoir,Damasunitedwiththesestudentstoforma
largerblack,Parisiancommunity,includingmembersfromseveraldifferent
black,Frenchcolonies.Hespokeaboutthisina1971interviewwithJeune
Afrique:
[W]hilestudyinglawandanthropologyinParis,Icametoknow
LéopoldSédarSenghorandalmostallthepresentAfricanleaders.
StartingwithajournalcalledL’EtudiantNoir,wehadaunified
movementgoinginafewyears.Infact,byvirtueoftherampant
colonialsystem,therewasreadyoppositionoftheMartiniquanto
theGuadeloupean,totheGuyaneseortotheAfrican.Peopletried
tomakeusbelieve,forexamplethatWestIndiansweresuperior
toAfricans.L’EtudiantNoirsawitselfasbothafightingandasa
unifyingbody.(“LaNégritudeenquestion”13)
So,thegoalofL’EtudiantNoirwasbothpoliticalandcultural.Byfounding
L’EtudiantNoir,thethreefathersofnegritudehadtheopportunitytoworkwith
its“maincollaborators,AristideMaugée,GilbertGratiant,LéonardSainville,
BiragoDiop,Charpentier,etc”(Damas,“FromRenéMarantoNégritude”22).
TheblackcommunityinPariswassmall,soitwasnotdifficultforeveryone
interestedinthiscausetomeetoftenandexchangeideas.
viii
Asonemightexpect,Damas’newidentityasapoliticallyactivewriter
wasafarcryfromtheobedientFrenchcitizenhewasraisedtobe.BridgetJones
describesDamas’culturalcomingofageinParis:“Onceastudentherebelled
andaffirmedhimselfa‘poètenègre,’tryingalsobycontactsandstudiesin
ethnologytodevelopunderstandingoftheAfricanwithinhim”(Jones31).The
worksoftheGermanethnographerLeoFrobeniuswereofparticularfascination
toDamas.Frobenius“notonlyaccusedtheEuropeansofegocentrichistorical
thinking,butdirectlyandindirectlyattackedcolonialimperialism”
(Zwernemann4).HisworksintroducedDamastotheideaofanAfrican
“essence,”aconceptthatwouldbecomeveryimportanttothefutureideologyof
negritude.Damasparents,however,werenotpleasedwiththeirson’sacademic
changeofheart.Infact,“WhenDamas’parentshappenedtolearnabouthis
interestin‘exoticlanguagesandstudies’ratherthanlaw,theycutoffhis
allowance”(Racine,“LeonGontranDamasandAfrica”51).Fortunately,hisParis
networksteppedintohelp:“Hisfriends,wishingtorescuehim,wrotetoFelix
Eboue,aGuyaneseCivilServant,thenGovernorofMartinique,topetitionfora
scholarshipinhisfavor,which,intime,wasgranted”(Racine,“LeonGontran
DamasandAfrica”51).
Damascontinuedtopushboundarieswiththe1937publicationofhis
overtlypoliticalPigments,thefirstpublishedcollectionofnegritudepoetry.This
slimvolumehadaglobalimpact,whichworriedtheFrenchgovernment:
ix
Pigmentshadbeenseizedandbanned‘pouratteinteàlasûretéde
l’Etat’4bytheFrenchauthoritiesin1939…EvenintheBaoulé
translation,Damas’poemswerestirringyouthinIvoryCoastand
theywererefusingtobemobilized.Thissurelywasproofthatthe
poemshadaforcethatwasmorethanpurelyliterary.(Warner,
“LeonDamasandHisCritics”6)
ThepolicemenwhosearchedDamas’homeexplainedtohimthattheIvorians
had“beguntosingthesepoemsalloverthecountry”asarallyingcryfortheir
protestsagainsttherulinggovernment(“LaNégritudeenquestion”14).
Pigmentsdidn’tonlyinspirepoliticalresistance;italsoinspiredthe
literatureofhisfellowsandsuccessorsinthenegritudemovement.Pigments
wasthefirstcollectionpublishedbyanyofthethreefathersofnegritude,andit
becametheliteraryfoundationofthemovement.Ina1972interviewwith
Manna,DamasexplainedtheimpactofPigments:
[M]yworkconstitutesanimportantmessage,andPigmentshas
beennotonlythefirstbookofitsgeneration,Pigmentshasbeen
themanifestoofthenégritudemovement…allthepoetswhocame
afterPigmentswereobligedtousematerialfromthepoemsthat
compriseit.AllthethemesofPigments,andtheideasinithave
beentaken,andfromthatperiodtillnowIseenothingnew.
(Warner,“NégritudeRevisited”24)
4asaviolationofnationalsecurity
x
ItdidnottakegenerationsforPigments’significancetosinkin;ratherDamas’
contemporariestookinspirationfromitimmediatelytocreatetheirownwork.
CésairetoldDamasthathisCahierd’unretouraupaysnatal,oneofthemost
well-knownpoemsofthemovement,drewdirectlyfromprecedentsestablished
inPigments(“LaNégritudeenQuestion”14).Asthefoundingtextofthe
Negritudemovement,PigmentssetthestandardforwhataNegritudetext
shouldbe.Itaffirmedthatblackthought,blackart,andblackvoicesshould
neverassimilatetotheEuropeanacademicestablishment.Ittookinspiration
fromthepopularsurrealiststyle,asthebeststyletoexpressthefrustrationwith
thecolonizerandthepainofthecolonized.PigmentsquicklyestablishedDamas
asaleadingfigureamonghispeersinthenegritudemovement.
Butthatcriticalsuccessdidnotlast.Damas’laterworkwasnotnearlyas
wellreceivedashisfirstcollectionofpoetry,yetCésaireandSenghor’s
popularitycontinuedtogrowwithtime.Pigmentssetsuchapowerfulprecedent
forDamasthatmostcriticswereunabletoseebeyondthatpersonaoftheangry
revolutionary.Warnerwrites:
[W]henDamaspublishedotherpoems,sentimentalitywas
accordedagreatershareofhisattention.Unfortunately,critical
acclaim,soaccustomedtoaDamasthatwasanythingelsebut
sentimental,persistedinseeingeverythingDamaswroteasa
sequeltoPigments,whichwasnaturallynotalwaysthecase.
(Warner,“LeonDamasandHisCritics”4)
xi
Damas,likeartistsofanymedium,continuedtoevolveafterhisfirstbigsuccess,
butthecritics’perceptionsofwhathisworkshouldbedidnotevolvealongwith
him.Mostunderstoodhimonlythroughthetropeofthe“angryblackman,”
readinghisworkasprimitivisticpoetry.BothCésaireandSenghorcontinuedto
explicitlyaddressraceandpoliticsintheirlaterwork(SeeDavis126-62),and
consequentlyremainedinthecritics’favor.
AnotherreasonthatCésaireandSenghorhaveeclipsedDamasisbecause
theyhavebeeninthepubliceyemuchmorethanhim.Césairebeganhis
politicalcareerin1945whenhewaselectedmayorofMartinique’scapital,Fort-
de-France,andasMartinique’sdeputytotheAssembléeNational,thelower
houseoftheFrenchparliament.By1988,hehadservedaspresidentofthe
ConseilRégionaldelaMartiniqueforfiveyears.Ashispoliticalcareer
progressed,hisliteraryworktookonadistinctlyhistoricalandpoliticalfocus.
Heisnowrememberedbyanyonewhovisitsordepartsfromhishomeland,as
Martinique’smainairportbearshisname.Senghorhadanevenmoreillustrious
career.HealsobeganasadeputytotheAssembléeNationalin1945,and
eventuallyservedastheRepublicofSenegal’sfirstpresidentin1960.He
survivedacoupd’état,anassassinationattempt,andatwelve-yearpolitical
imprisonment.Hislegacyisassured,ashewaselectedtotheAcadémie
Françaisein1983.
DamaswasalsoelectedtotheAssembléeNational,thoughnotuntil1948,
threeyearslaterthanCésaireandSenghor.Hispoliticalcareernevertookoff,as
helosthisseatin1951,lessthanayearbeforeGraffitiwaspublished(Racine,
xii
Léon-GontranDamas:l’hommeetl’œuvre34-9).Instead,Damashadashort-
livedcareerinradio,lastingonlyfrom1958to1962,whenhewasfired,most
likelyforpoliticalreasons(Racine,Léon-GontranDamas:l’hommeetl’œuvre40).
Histruecallingseemedtobeacademia,whichhecontinuedtopursuewellinto
oldage.HetaughtatmultipleAmericanuniversities,mostnotablyHoward
University,inWashington,D.C.(Racine,Léon-GontranDamas:l’hommeet
l’œuvre45-50).
Professorsarefeaturedinmassmediafarlessthanpoliticians,sounlike
CésaireandSenghor,Damasspenthislaterlifeawayfrompublicview.Notonly
didhetakeamoreprivatecareerpath,buthedidsointheUnitedStates,rather
thaninFranceorinGuiana,hishomeland.Damas’literarycareerdidnotbenefit
frompoliticalpublicity,anditsufferedfromcriticaldisapproval.Becauseofthis,
hisworkhasnotbeenstudiedasmuchasthatoftheothertwofoundersofthe
negritudemovement.
II.
Graffiti,Damas’firstcollectionofpoetrypublishedafterPigments,ismore
acollectionoflovepoemsthanacalltorevolution.Criticswhoexpectedittobe
acontinuationofPigments’straightforward,racially-chargedangerwere
necessarilydisappointed.However,insistingthatablackmanisalover,notjust
afighter,wasarevolutionaryideaatthattime.MerleHodgeexplainsDamas’
poeticshift;“HisnextpublishedbookofpoetryisGraffiti,whichatfirst
disconcertsbecauseitisallbutraciallyanonymous–theburning
xiii
preoccupationsofPigmentsaretotallyabsent”(Hodge119-20).Hodgeexplains
thatDamasbecamemoreaccessiblebywritingabouthisownemotional
problems.Hehasalready“proclaim[ed]withallhismighthisracial
identificationandsolidarity”(Hodge120),sowiththatinmind,hebeganto
writeabouthisexperienceasaman.However,thisideaofwritingas“firstand
foremostaman”(Hodge120)ishighlyproblematic.LangstonHughesillustrates
thisdifficultyinhisessay“TheNegroArtistandtheRacialMountain”:
OneofthemostpromisingoftheyoungNegropoetssaidtome
once,‘Iwanttobeapoet—notaNegropoet,’meaning,Ibelieve,‘I
wanttowritelikeawhitepoet’;meaningsubconsciously,‘Iwould
liketobeawhitepoet’;meaningbehindthat,‘Iwouldliketobe
white.’(Hughes1)
ThereispressureonDamastofindtheperfectbalancebetweenwritingto
expresshimself,andwritingasaspokespersonforagroup.Inwritingaboutthe
personal,Damasfocuseslessonthegeneralproblemsfacinganyonewithhis
racialbackground.
WhileonthesurfaceitmayseemthatDamashasabandonedhisracial
identityinGraffiti,theoppositeisinfacttrue.Inaninterview,Damas
paradoxicallysaid,“NowthankstoSenghor,Césaireandmyself,westayedthe
waywewereinthebeginningandallourbooks,afterthefirst,were
explanationsofthefirst”(Warner,“NégritudeRevisited”24).GraffitiisDamas’
chancetobuildonwhathealreadywroteinPigments.Hedoesnotneedto
repeatthesamethemesthathealreadydiscussed,buthecanreiteratethemina
xiv
newcontext.If,ratherthandismissingGraffitioutofhand,welookalittle
deeper,themesofracialalienationareobvious.Inheranalysis,KirstenHalling
readsGraffitias“alogicalsequeltoPigments”(Halling45).Shewrites:
InPigments,thethemesofself-deceptionandpersonalweakness
areasourceofpoeticanger.InGraffiti,thesethemesreappearin
sexualimagery(“Surlesein”‘Onthebreast’),graphically
illustratingtheconnectionbetweentheseductionofthecolonizer
andthetemptationsoftheflesh.(Halling45)
Halling’sreadingseemstobeavariationontheallegoricalreading,whichfigures
themetropoleastheunattainablebelovedandthecolonizedasthebroken-
heartedlover.ThoughGraffitimaynotquitefitherreadingof“thecollective
experienceofthecolonizedminority…withinthemetaphoricalcontextofa
brokenheart”(Halling30),Damasdoesuseheartbreaktocontinuetoexpress
hisownpersonalexperiencesasanoppressedminority.Therearesomeexplicit
referencestoDamas’race,suchas“mafugueafro-amérindienne”5in“Pardonne
àDieuquiserepent”and“rythmed’unenuit/afro-cubaine”6in“Tandisqu’il
agonise,”butmostofGraffitiismoresubtlethanthat.Often,Damasuses
imageryofthehotsunanddarknightinsteadofdealingwithraceexplicitly.He
expressesdiscomfortwiththeCatholicChurch(“Ilmesouvientencore,”“Comme
unrosaire,”“Jenesaisenvérité,”“Jepenseausalutdel’amourdanslafuite”)
andtheCatholicGod(“PardonneàDieuquiserepent,”“Etmaintenant”)–the
5myAfro-Amerindianfugue6rhythmofanAfro-Cuban/night
xv
religionoftheoppressor.Morethananything,Graffitiisaboutthepainof
rejection,which,inthelargercontextofDamas’oeuvre,canbeappliedtoboth
heartbreakandracialexclusion,andevenpoliticalunpopularity.
TheidealreadingofGraffitiwouldfindahappymediumbetween
Halling’sracial-allegoricalinterpretationandHodge’s“raciallyanonymous”
analysis.MercerCookputitbestwhenexaminingNévralgies,acollectionthat
comprisesmanyofthepoemsfromGraffitialongwithsomenewpoems.He
wrote,“theracialcontentofNévralgiesismoreimplicitthanexplicit…the
emphasisiselsewhere:ondreamsthatdonotmaterialize;onlovesandlivesthat
donotlast”(Cook117).Thesefaileddreamscouldincludehislossofcriticaland
publicappealaswellasanypost-colonialinterpretation.Itisimportanttonote
thatDamaswroteGraffitiashismarriagetoIsabelleAchille,hisfirstwife,was
fallingapart.Theywoulddivorcein1953,ayearafterthepublicationofGraffiti
(Halling31).However,manyofthepoemsrailagainstapluralfoe,the
unspecifieduns/autres/vous(ones/others/youplural).Thesepoemsseemto
defyalove-centricreading,butarenotexplicitlyracialeither.Theymakethe
mostsensewhenreadasthepoetrailingagainstacriticalmassthatdoesnot
wanthimtogrow,andthereforedoesnotunderstandhimanymore.
Inspiteofcriticalneglect,Damasisanessentialmemberofthenegritude
movement.Heusedhismultinational,Frenchimperialeducationtobuildanew
literarymovement.HeunitedthemovementinFrancewiththeslightlyolder
NewNegromovementintheUnitedStates.Hebuiltonideasandtechniques
fromtheHarlemRenaissancetowritePigments,themanifestoofthenegritude
xvi
movement.Hisworkinspiredhiscontemporariesandsuccessorswithinthe
movement.Thoughhecertainlyhadqualificationsthatmeritthesameamount
ofstudyashisco-founders,CésaireandSenghor,hehasbeencompletely
overshadowedbythem,largelybecausehisworkevolvedinasubtler,more
personaldirection.HispoemsinGraffitiwerenotexplicitlyrevolutionary,so
theywererejectedbycriticswhoexpectedanewworkakintoPigmentsII.
DamasandGraffitiareworthyofstudyeventhoughtheyweremisunderstood
andconsequentiallydismissed.Damas’poetryisimportantbecauseitshowsus
anothersideofthenegritudepoet,asidethatisintenselypersonalandwidely
universalatthesametime.
xvii
Translator’sPreface
“Peut-ontraduireunpoème,non.Onyrencontretropdecontradictionsqu’onne
peutlever,ondoitfairetropd’abandons.”—YvesBonnefoy
“Canyoutranslateapoem?No.Youencountertoomanyirresolvable
contradictions;youmustmaketoomanysacrifices.”—YvesBonnefoy
Translationismorethanthepracticeofsubstitutingwordsinone
languageforthoseinanother.Ifitweresuchanautomaticprocess,then
electronictranslationsoftwarewouldworkperfectlyineverysituation.Rather,
therearenuancesthatdonottranslatedirectlyfromonelanguagetoanother.In
somecases,aparticularwordinonelanguagecanonlybetranslatedbyalong
phraseinanother.Certainphrasesareidiomatic,andmakenosenseatallwhen
translatedliterallyintoadifferentlanguage(SeeBassnett33-9).Punsandjokes
areevenmoredifficult.Manytimes,thedifferencesinsyntaxrequirethe
translatortosignificantlyalterthestructureofasentence,orevenanentire
section,justtomakeitreadableinthetargetlanguage.Mostofthetime,
however,thedifficultiesarefarlessexplicit;thetranslatormustconsiderall
connotationsandallpossiblemeaningsofwordsinbothlanguagestofindthe
properexpressioninthenewlanguage.
xviii
Translatingpoetryisanevenmorecomplicatedprocess.Asshowninthe
epigraphabove,manytranslatorsevenclaimthatitcannotbedone.Onecan
approachtranslatingprosebytryingtoabstractthemeaningoftheoriginal,
carryitovertothetargetlanguage,andrephraseitinawaythenewreadercan
understand.Inpoetry,thereareadditionalformalconstraints,andissuesof
rhythmandrhymetoconsider.Wordorderismoreimportantinpoetrythanit
isinprose,puttingmorepressureonthetranslatortotakeaword-for-word
approachtotranslatingpoetry.Unfortunately,thatmethodisimpractical
becauseitforcesthetranslatortoignorepoeticdevices,suchasassonanceand
alliteration(whichDamasusesoften),andrhyme(whichheusesoccasionally).
Plus,itusuallydestroystherhythmofthepoem,andmakesthepoem
unnecessarilydifficultforthereadertounderstand.AccordingtoRoman
Jakobson,aspectsofthespecificwords,suchassoundandrhythm,becomepart
ofthemeaninginpoetrywheretheywouldn’tbeinprose(238).Inpoetry,
sometimestheparticularideapresentedislessimportantthanthesoundand
stylecreatingtheoveralleffect.Thissignificantlyaltersthetranslator’stask.
Now,heorshemustidentifytheeffectcreatedinonelanguage,andmirroritin
another.
MymaingoalinthistranslationistomakeoneofLéon-GontranDamas’
lesser-knownpoetrycollectionsaccessibletoanAnglophonereadershipthat
doesnotreadFrenchwellenoughtounderstandtheoriginalversion.Toserve
thisgoal,IhavefavoredthetranslationdecisionsthatIbelievearemostinline
withhisstyle,evenwhentheyarenotthemostliteralones.Thismeansthat
xix
sometimesIslightlyalteredthesenseortheorderofthelinestopreservethe
literarydevicesDamasemploys.Oneexampleofthisisin“Quandmalgrémoi”
(“WhenInSpiteofMyself”)whenItranslatedtheline“qu’emplitl’écœurement
d’unéreintanttic-tac”as“densewiththedisgustofadeafeningtick-tock.”Here,
Ijudgedthesoundofthelinetobemoreimportantthanitsexactliteral
meaning,soIchosewordsthatfollowedasimilarrhythmandalliterative
pattern,butalsocreatedaverysimilarimagetoDamas’original.
BecauseItranslatedacollectionofpoemstogether,ratherthanonlya
coupleofseparatepoems,IhadtopayspecialattentiontohowItranslated
recurringphrasesacrossmultiplepoems.In“D’avoiruninstantcru”(“Having
ForOneMomentBelieved”),Damaswritesofhis“cœurdefou”whichItranslate
as“mad…heart.”Later,in“Aimertoutcommehier”(“LovingJustLike
Yesterday”),hewritesofan“airdefou.”HadIbeentranslatingthispoem
independentlyfromthecollection,Iprobablywouldhavechangedthatphraseto
somethinglike“sillysong,”butbecauseIhadpreviouslytranslated“defou”as
“mad,”Itranslated“airdefou”to“madair”tokeepconsistencybetweenthe
poems.Similarly,in“Elles’envint”(“SheEscapes”),Iwantedtotranslate
“drame”as“tragedy,”sowhenDamasusedthatsamewordagainin“Vousdont
lesricanements”(“YouWhoseSnickering”),Iagaintranslateditas“tragedy,”
eventhoughtheexactmeaningof“drame”inthatpoemwassomewhatmore
ambiguous.
Inpreparingthisproject,IreadtranslationtheorybyLawrenceVenuti.
Venuti’smainargumentisforatechniquecalled“foreignization,”whichisan
xx
elaborationofFriedrichSchleiermacher’stechniquedescribedinhisessay“On
theDifferentMethodsofTranslating,”forbringingthereaderclosertothe
originalauthor.ForVenuti,foreignizationistheideathatatranslatedwork
shouldretainsomeforeignelementssothereaderisawarethatit,inthiscase,is
notactuallyacollectionofEnglishpoetry,butratherFrenchpoetryrenderedin
English.Inforeignization,theconventionsofthetargetlanguage,Englishinthis
case,arepurposelytransgressedtokeepthereaderawareofthelinguisticand
culturaldifferencebetweentheirlanguageandtheoriginal.Ikepttheseideasin
mindasIwascreatingmytranslations,thoughmyworkisnotforeignizingin
anyprogrammaticway.Instead,IconsideredDavidBellos’criticismof
foreignization,thattheresultoftensoundsclumsy,incorrect,oreveninsulting
whentakentoanextreme(44-59),andIusedthisideatodevelopastylethat
respectedthelanguageoftheoriginalwithoutremainingsofaithfulthatit
becameaparodyofit.Asmygoalistointroducethesepoemstoanewgroupof
readers,Ididnotwantthetranslationstoseemsoforeignandunrecognizable
thatanAnglophonewouldbeunabletounderstandthemandwouldperhaps
evengiveupinfrustration.Particularlywithsyntaxproblems,ignoringEnglish
conventionscouldmakethepoemsincomprehensibleinmanycases.Thatbeing
said,Ididtrytotranslateinsuchawaythatthereaderwouldneverwhollylose
sightofthetext’sforeignness.
MimickingFrenchstructuresinEnglishcancauseinterestingsideeffects.
For“Toujourscesmots”(“AlwaysTheseWords”),itispossibletowritethe
EnglishversionwithnearlythesamewordorderastheoriginalFrench;
xxi
howevertheresultsoundsmuchmoreformalinEnglishthanitdidinFrench.
Thoughthisformalityisnotideal,itwasnecessarytopreserveelementsof
suspenseandemphasis.IknewIhadtoendtheEnglishversionwiththeword
“cruelty,”andthatIshouldevenkeeptheentirelastlineasclosetotheoriginal
aspossible,translatingitas“allofthepointlesscruelty.”OnceIhadestablished
that,Ihadtoworkoutthemiddle.Theword“dont”istrickybecauseEnglish
doesnothaveacomparablepronoun.BecauseIwantedtokeepthesuspenseof
thepoem,Ihadnoroomtorearrangethelines.Thebesttranslationfor“dont”in
thiscontextis“ofwhich,”thephrasethatmakestheEnglishversionsoundso
formal.WhileIunderstoodthisformalitytobeasacrifice,myinterpretationof
thepoemissuchthatitwaslessimportantthanthesuspenseleadingtothe
word“cruelty.”
Ifoundtheconceptofforeignizationusefulagainforawordorderchoice
in“Toutàcebesoind’évasion”(“AllForThisNeedtoEscape”).Theresultis
unusualinEnglish,butnotsounusualthatitisconfusing.InFrench,possessives
arewrittenintheform,“[noun]de[name]”ratherthan“[name]’s[noun],”as
theyareusuallywritteninEnglish.Inthatsamepoem,Damaswritesofthe
“soleil…/d’août”,whichIchoosetowriteas“sun/ofAugust”ratherthan
“Augustsun.”ThewordorderisslightlyunusualforEnglish,butstill
understandable,makingpossibleatranslationthatremindedthereaderofthe
Frenchoriginalwithoutobscuringthemeaning.Inthatsamepoem,Ichoseto
keep“Côted’Azur”inFrenchforthesamereason,ratherthantranslatingitinto
“AzurCoast”orusingtheEnglishname,“FrenchRiviera.”
xxii
Inthatsamepoem,however,IcameacrossaspecificproblemthatI
thoughtwasbestsolvedbyfindingacreativeEnglishsolution,ratherthan
dogmaticallyfollowingtheoriginal.Thesecondhalfofthelaststanzasetsupa
playonwords:“etrienàmoncasierd’hôtel/sicen’est/pauvrependu/laclé
quisebalance/laclefquis’enbalance.”Thelasttwolinesusetwodifferent
spellingsofthesameword,clé/clef,butalsocompletelychangemeaningwith
theadditionofonlyanapostropheandtheletter“n”totheword“se.”This
changesitfromtheimageofakeyswinginginanotherwiseemptyhotel
mailbox,likenedtoahangman,toacruellyindifferentkeythatdoesn’tcare
aboutthespeaker’stroubles.Becauseidiomsdon’tusuallytranslatewell,I
couldn’tjusttranslatethewords.IhadtofindEnglishidiomsthatweresimilar,
andthatalsocomparedthekeytoahangman.Ichangedtheorderaround,used
completelydifferentidioms,andevenaddedanextralinetogetasimilareffect
inEnglish.EventuallyIsettledon“eachdaynothinginmyhotelbox/exceptfor
/thathumblehangman/mykey/hangingbyathread/hanginginthe
balance.”Thisisanimperfectsolution,becausewhileitconveysacertain
anxiety,itdoesnotmatchtheparanoiaoftheoriginalFrench.Now,ratherthan
judginghim,thekeyitselfisinperil.Thisstillworksbecauseitcreatesavery
similareffect,butnowthekeyisametaphorforthespeaker’sfailedrelationship
ratherthananotherpieceofevidencethattheoutsideworldisagainsthim.
AnotherspecificproblemIhadwasthedoublemeaningoftheFrench
word“vers.”Asmentionedearlier,punsarenotoriouslydifficulttotranslate.In
French,theword“vers”canmeaneitherversesorworms.Thereisnosingle
xxiii
Englishwordthathasbothofthosemeanings.Damasusesthedoublemeaning
intwodifferentpoems.Thefirsttime,in“Tandisqu’ilagonise”(“WhileHe
Agonizes”),issubtle,andonlyimplied.Inthelaststanza,Damasuses“vers”
primarilytomean“verses,”butbecausethispoemaddressesdeathand
impermanence,andspecificallydescribesamausoleum,thereisnoquestionthat
heintendedforthereadertopickuponthe“worms”meaningaswell,eating
awayatthedeadmanwhovainlyattemptedtomemorializehimselfinthe
grandestmannerpossible.Unfortunately,Icouldnotfindawaytopreserve
bothmeaningswithoutsignificantlyalteringthetext,soIchosetheword
“verses,”whichisalsoconvenientlythecognate.
Thenextinstanceisfoundinacleveruseofenjambmentinthe
penultimatelineof“Etmaintenant”(“AndNow”).Thislineistrickybecause,
isolatedas“quedes’attendrirsurunfruitmûrpiquédesvers,”“vers”only
seemstomean“worms”(literally“thantobemovedbyaripefruitsnatched
fromworms”);butwhenattachedtothenextline,as“vers/surdesamours
frappéesàmortdudouteamer,”itseemstomean“verses”(literally“verseson
lovesbeatentodeathbybitterdoubt”).Ineededtofindawaytodescribeboth
worm-eatenfruitandlovepoemsintheEnglishversion,ideallyoneinwhichthe
ambiguitywasmadepossiblebyalinebreak.Todothis,Idecidedtodescribe
themas“writhinglines,”therebyretainingtheimageofwormsbutalsokeeping
thesenseofsillylovepoems.Iplacedthelinebreakbetween“writhing”and
“lines,”sothattheambiguitywouldnotberesolveduntilthelastline,creatinga
senseofsuspensesimilartotheoriginal.“Piqué”providesasmalldifficultyas
xxiv
well.Itusuallymeans“stung,”“stuck,”“pricked,”or“jabbed,”andinthiscase
couldmean“riddled”withworms,butitcanalsomean“stolen,”“nicked,”
“nabbed,”or“pinched,”morefamiliarly.Ichosetousethe“stolen”sense
becauseitallowsmetousecognate“picked”andkeepthesamesharpsoundof
“piqué,”plusitworksbetterforthedoublemeaninginEnglish.Ialsochosethe
phrase“struckdead”ratherthan“beatentodeath”because“beatentodeath”
makesitsoundlikethehumanloversweremurdered,ratherthanonlythe
amorousfeelingskilled.
Linebreaksbecomeespeciallyimportantwhentheyincludeapoem’s
firstline,sinceinGraffitithepoems’firstlinesalsofunctionastheirtitles.Most
ofDamas’poemsarequiteshort,sothereislittleroomtochangethewordorder
withoutchangingtheemphasisandrhythm,andsometimeseventhepoem’s
title.Onepoembegins,“Jenesaisenvérité/riendeplustriste…”Thiscouldbe
renderedinEnglishmostsimplyas“InTruthIKnow/nothingsoglum,”
howeverasthesearethefirsttwolinesofthepoem,“Jenesaisenvérité”isalso
thepoem’stitle.ThiswouldmeanthatIhadn’tonlysimplifiedinmyEnglish
version,butIhadalsocompletelychangedthetitleofthepoemtotheopposite
meaningoftheoriginalFrenchtitle.Instead,Ichosethelessnaturalfirstline,
“InTruthIDon’tKnow.”ThisallowstheFrenchandEnglishtitlestomeanthe
samething,anditincludesthatelementofforeignizationthatweexplored
earlier.
TheproblemsIhavediscussedsofarsometimesappearedoneafter
anotherinquicksuccession,eveninveryshortpoems.Inthenine-linepoem,
xxv
“Commeunrosaire”(“LikeaRosary”),Iencounteredpolysemy,near-perfect
matches,andsyntaxissues.ThereisnoexactEnglishwordthatcouldreplace
theword“s’égrène”inthesecondline.Theverb“égrener”couldmean“toshuck
orseedavegetable,”or“totellyourbeads,”or“tolistonebyone.”Inaliterary
context,itcouldmean“tosuffuse”or“topermeate.”Thereflexive,“s’égrener,”
canmean“tobestrungout,”“tobespreadacross,”or“todisperseorscatter.”So,
ItriedtofindaveryshortwaytoincludewhatmeaningsIcould.“Égrener,”also
spelled“égrainer,”hastheroot“grain”whichusuallymeans“grain”or“seed.”I
wantedoneverbthatwouldexpressboththepassageoftimeandtheactof
sayingtherosary,butthatwouldalsoincludetheideaoftimemovinggrainby
grain(asthroughanhourglass)andtellingtherosarybeadbybead.BecauseI
couldnotfindasingleEnglishwordthatincludedallofthosemeanings,I
decidedtofocusontheaspectofprayer.Intheend,Ichosethephrase“prayed
away.”Iusedtheverb“prayed”ratherthan“told”or“said”becauseIthoughtit
wouldbemoreeasilyunderstoodbyanAnglophonereaderwhomaybe
confusedbyvagueverbs.Ialsochose“prayed”becauseitallowedmetoretaina
similarvowelsoundtotheoriginalFrench.Iwrote“prayedaway”ratherthan
just“prayed”becausethatwayIcouldkeeptheideaoftimepassingandslipping
away.Unfortunately,Iwasunabletoincludetheseedorgrainaspectofthe
word.Allofthisforjustonewordinonepoem!
Thethirdandfourthlinesofthesamepoemcouldbetranslatedliterally
intoEnglish,butmustbeexaminedthoroughlybeforecomingtoafinaldecision.
IadjustedtheEnglishslightlysothatitwouldflowbetter.Literally,“pourle
xxvi
repos/d’uneâme”translatesto“fortherepose/ofasoul.”Thattranslationis
awkwardandpassiveinEnglish,anditdoesn’treallymakesense.Instead,I
simplywrote,“forthesoul’s/repose.”ThistranslationistruetoDamas’
economyoflanguage,howeveritemphasizestheword“repose”ratherthan
“soul.”Thereisasimilarsituationinlinesix,withthephrase,“parcinq,”whichI
resolveddifferently.Ieventuallydecidedtotranslateitfairlyliterally,as“by
fives.”Unfortunately,thisphrasesticksoutinEnglishbecauseitisnotas
commonasinFrench.However,alternativessuchas“fivebyfive”or“infifths”
wereevenworse.
ThelastthreelinesofthispoemprovideanexampleofhowFrench
syntaxdoesnotworkinEnglish.Frenchusuallyplacestheadjectiveafterthe
noun,allowingDamastoendthepoemontheadjective,“hanté.”Thiswould
soundextremelyawkwardinEnglish.Literally,“dansunsilence/demonastère
/hanté”translatesto“inasilence/ofmonastery/haunted.”Clearlythatdoes
notwork.OneoptionistokeepitveryclosetotheoriginalFrench:“inahaunted
/monastery/silence.”Thiskeeps“monastery”asadescriptorfor“silence,”asit
isintheFrench,butbyendingonthesingleword,“silence,”thatwordis
emphasized,justlike“hanté”wasintheFrench.SinceIcouldn’tendthepoem
withtheword“haunted,”Ihadtochoosebetweenendingon“silence”or
“monastery.”Ichosetoendon“monastery”becauseitgavethepoem’sreligious
elementsclosure.Icouldn’twrite“haunted/monastery”becauseinEnglish
(especiallyAmericanEnglish)thatbringstomindtheimageofachildish,
church-sponsoredhauntedhouse,completewithcottonspiderwebsand
xxvii
teenagersinzombiefacepaint.Instead,Ichosetheword“ghostly”becauseit
wasjustassinister,withoutsuchastrongHalloweenconnotation.
Overall,theprocessoftranslatingGraffitiwasextremelygratifying.It
forcedmetoconsiderthesignificanceofallpossiblemeaningsforeveryword.
Thoughitisimpossibletocreateanexactequivalentfromonelanguageto
another,newmeritcanbefoundinananalogouswork.Itprovidesasimilar
experienceforanentirelynewsetofreaderswhowouldneverbeforehavehad
accesstoGraffiti.Italsoprovidesaparticularsetofinterpretations,especiallyto
areaderofbothFrenchandEnglish.Ihopethatthistranslationwidensthe
audienceforDamas’poetry,andIhopethatyouhaveasmuchfunreadingitasI
hadwritingit.
—LAURAHESS
1
GRAFFITI
MALGRÉLESSARCASMESDESUNS
malgrél’indulgencedesautres
etaugranddamdesuns
etaugranddamdesautres
plaiseàmoncœur
misuninstantànu
d’affichersurlesmursetautreslieuxdelaville
decrieràtue-têtesurlestoitsdelaville
àbasTOUT
viveRIEN
dequoilesuns
dequoilesautresauront-ilsl’airavec
avectousleurssarcasmes
avecavecleurindulgence
2
DESPITETHESARCASMOFSOME
despitetheindulgenceofothers
andtothedismayofsome
andtothedismayofothers
itthrillsmyheart
laidbareamoment
topostonwallsandallaroundthecity
toshoutatthetopofmylungsfromtheroof-topsofthecity
downwithALL
longliveNONE
howwillsome
howwillothersseemwith
withalltheirsarcasm
withwithalltheirindulgence
3
ILMESOUVIENTENCORE
del’annéefoutue
oùj’eusse
pu
toutaussibien
sucer
etlepouce
etl’index
dusorcierensoutane
aulieudel’avalerl’hostie
mafoimondieu
mainsjointes
4
ISTILLREMEMBER
thatfuckedupyear
whenI
could
justaswell
havesucked
thethumb
andindexfinger
ofthatwarlockinacassock
insteadofswallowingthehost
myfaithmygod
handsclasped
5
COMMEUNROSAIRE
s’égrène
pourlerepos
d’uneâme
mesnuitss’envont
parcinq
dansunsilence
demonastère
hanté
6
LIKEAROSARY
prayedaway
forthesoul’s
repose
mynightspass
byfives
inthesilence
ofaghostly
monastery
7
SURLESEIN
beletbien
flasque
d’unluxe
demaquillage
défait
jemesuis
autoutpetitmatin
reveilléblême
dedépit
8
ONTHEBREAST
atitsbest
soft
withawealth
ofundone
makeup
Iawoke
intheearlymorning
bleared
withregret
9
LESVAGISSEMENTS
duPetit-de-l’Homme
quipourraétrangleràjamais
bombarderàlamain
latristesse
ledépit
etlahainequiaime
lahaine
etl’amourquihait
l’amour
Vousarrive-t-ild’entendre
lesvagissements
duPetit-de-l’Homme
quipourraétrangleràjamais
bombarderàlamain
latristesse
ledépit
l’amourquihait
lahainequiaime
detristesse
dedépit
10
THEWAILS
oftheSon-of-Man
whocouldstrangleforever
smashaway
thesadness
theregret
andthehatethatloves
hate
andthelovethathates
love
Canyouhear
thewails
oftheSon-of-Man
whocouldstrangleforever
smashaway
thesadness
theregret
thelovethathates
thehatethatloves
withsadness
withregret
11
MONCŒURRÊVEDEBEAUCIELPAVOISÉDEBLEU
d’unemerdéchaînée
contrel’homme
l’inconnuàlabarque
quiseritaugrandlarge
demoncœurquitoujoursrêve
rêveetrêve
debeauciel
surunemerdebonheursimpossibles
12
MYHEARTDREAMSOFABEAUTIFULSKYPAVEDWITHBLUE
ofaseaunleashed
againstman
theunknownonthebarque
wholaughsattheopenexpanse
ofmyheartthatstilldreams
dreamsanddreams
ofabeautifulsky
onaseaofimpossiblejoys
13
ELLES’ENVINT
d’Elle-même
unsoir
rôderunsoir
autourdemadétresse
dechientoutfou
dechien-tout-nu
dechientoutchien
toutfou
toutnu
Ainsi
sansplus
naquit
ledrame
14
SHEESCAPES
fromHerself
onenight
prowlingonenight
around
mydistress
amaddog’s
asaddog’s
adoggeddog’s
allmad
allsad
Fromthis
alone
thetragedy
isborn
15
D’AVOIRUNINSTANTCRU
àlamaindégantée
àlamaindégantéeauprintemps
dégantéeauprintempsné
auprintempsnédelamagie
delamagiedurhythme
lemeuteédentée
scrofuleuse
etborgne
acriésus
àmoncœurdefousanshaine
16
HAVINGFORONEMOMENTBELIEVED
intheunglovedhand
intheunglovedhandinspringtime
unglovedhandinspringtimeborn
inspringtimebornofthemagic
ofthemagicofrhythm
thetoothlesspack
scrofulous
andone-eyed
criedout
againstmymadunhatingheart
17
POURQUOI
grandsdieux
faut-ilquetoutsechante
fût-ce
l’amour
àtoutjamaissoudain
d’unepuretéd’albâtre
18
WHY
deargods
musteverythingbesung
even
love
eversudden
withanalabasterpurity
19
PARDONNEÀDIEUQUISEREPENT
dem’avoirfait
unevietriste
unevierude
uneviedure
unevieâpre
unevievide
car
àl’oréedubois
souslequelnoussurprit
lanuitd’avantmafugueafro-amérindienne
jet’avoueraisansfards
toutcedontensilence
tum’incrimines
20
APARDONTOGODWHOREPENTS
forgivingme
asadlife
ahardlife
aharshlife
aroughlife
ablanklife
for
attheedgeofthewoods
whereweweresurprised
thenightbeforebymyAfro-Amerindianfugue
Iwillconfessplainly
toallofyoursilent
accusations
21
JENESAISENVÉRITÉ
riendeplustriste
deplusodieux
deplusaffreux
depluslugubreaumonde
qued’entendrel’amour
àlonguerdejournée
serépétant
àmesse
basse
Ilétaitunefois
unefemmevintàpasser
dontlesbrasétaitchargésderoses
22
INTRUTHIDON’TKNOW
anythingmoreglum
moreodious
moreatrocious
morelugubriousintheworld
thanhearingloverepeat
alldaylong
toitself
atmass
hushed
Onceuponatime
awomanpassedby
whosearmswereladenwithroses
23
VOUSDONTLESRICANEMENTS
d’obscurscouloirsd’air
medonnentlachairdepoule
Vousdontlevisage
bouffirappelle
cemasquequ’empruntaitsouventàplaisir
par-delàlesmornesagrestes
lalune
lalunedemonenfancesordide
Vousdontjesens
vousdontjesaislecœur
aussividedetendresse
quelespuitsdecheznousd’eau
auderniercarême
Vousdontlaprésence
procheoulointaine
énervemavie
commelavieillefolleducoin
monpremiersommeil
24
Vousdontlecrimeestd’envouloir
àl’image
qu’ilm’aplu
d’avoirunmatin
d’ELLE
Vousdontlesricanements
vousdontlevisage
vousdontlecœur
laprésence
lecrime
Etpuisvoustous
enfinvousautres
saisirez-vousjamaisunrienmême
àcepoème
mondrame
25
YOUWHOSESNICKERING
likeadarkblastofair
givesmegoosebumps
Youwhoseswollenface
remindsme
ofthatmaskborrowedoftenby
themoon
beyondtherustichills
themoonofmysordidchildhood
YouwhoseheartIthink
youwhoseheartIknow
isasdevoidoftenderness
asourwellswereofwater
lastyearatLent
Youwhosepresence
nearorfar
unnervesmylife
likethatwomanravingonthecorner
myfirstnight
26
Youwhosecrimeisbegrudging
theimage
Iwanted
tohaveonemorning
ofHER
Youwhosesnickering
youwhoseface
youwhoseheart
whosepresence
whosecrime
Andthenallofyou
inshortyouothers
willyouevergraspanythingatall
fromthispoem
mytragedy
27
DÉSIRD’ENFANTMALADE
d’avoirété
troptôtsevrédulaitpur
delaseulevraietendresse
j’auraisdonné
unepleinevied’homme
pourtesentir
tesentirprès
prèsdemoi
demoiseul
seul
toujoursprès
demoiseul
toujoursbelle
commetusais
tusaissibien
toiseule
l’êtretoujours
aprèsavoirpleuré
28
ASICKCHILD’SWISH
havingbeen
weanedtoosoonfromthepuremilk
fromtheonlytruetenderness
I’dhavegiven
mywholelife
tofeelyou
feelyouclose
closetome
tomealone
alone
alwaysclose
tomealone
alwaysbeautiful
asyouknow
youknowsowell
youalone
willalwaysbe
aftercrying
29
AVECUNRIENMÊMEDEDÉDAIN
dansleregardouvertdestupeur
lalune
jaunerondeetbelle
sembledireàvoixbasse
Enauront-ilsbientôtfinilesfous
demitraillerleciel
des’enprendreauxétoiles
detonnersansvergogne
contrecesnuits
oùj’eusseaimé
dormir
dormirunseuletlongsoûl
d’hommeivre
et
rêver
rêverencore
toutàl’aiseencore
d’ELLE
30
WITHTHESLIGHTESTBITOFDISDAIN
inanopenlydazedlook
themoon
yellowandroundandbeautiful
seemstosayinalowvoice
Arethesefoolsquitefinished
firingonthesky
pickingfightswiththestars
railingwithoutshame
againstthesenights
whenIwouldhave
slept
sleptthatlongunbrokenslumber
ofdrunkenness
and
dreamt
dreamtevennow
peacefullyevennow
ofHER
31
PARLAFENÊTREOUVERTEÀDEMI
surmondédaindumonde
unebrisemontait
perfuméeaustéphanotis
tandisquetutiraisàTOI
toutlerideau
Telle
jeterevois
tereverrai
toujourstirantàTOI
toutlerideau
dupoèmeoù
Dieuquetuesbelle
mais
longueàêtrenue
32
THROUGHTHEWINDOWHALF-OPENED
onmydisdainfortheworld
abreezelifted
perfumedwithjasmine
whileyoupulledthecurtains
alltowardsYOU
Thus
Iseeyouagain
willseeyouagain
alwayspullingthecurtains
alltowardsYOU
inthepoemwhere
Mygodyou’rebeautiful
but
slowtobenaked
33
SOUDAIND’UNECRUAUTÉFEINTE
tum’asditd’unevoixderegretsfaite
tum’asditenmequittanthier
tum’asditdenepaspouvoirmevoir
avantdixàtreizejours
Pourquoitreize
etpasquinze
etpasvingt
etpastrente
Pourquoitreize
etpasdouze
etpashuit
etpasdix
etpasquatre
etpasdeux
Pourquoipasdemain
lamaindanslamain
lamainsurletien
lamainsurlemien
lamainsurlecoeur
34
demoncœurquis’inquiète
etquidéjaredoute
d’avoirunbeaujour
àt’attendreenvain
35
SUDDENLYWITHASLYCRUELTY
youtoldmeinavoicefilledwithroteregret
youtoldmeasyouleftmeyesterday
youtoldmeyoucouldnotseeme
fortenorthirteendays
Whythirteen
andnotfifteen
andnottwenty
andnotthirty
Whythirteen
andnottwelve
andnoteight
andnotten
andnotfour
andnottwo
Whynottomorrow
handinhand
handonyours
handonmine
handonmyheart
36
ofheartsthatdoubts
andalreadydreads
thatonefineday
Iwillhavewaitedforyouinvain
37
TOUTEÀCEBESOIND’ÉVASION
depuispeusatisfait
aprèsavoirdesmoisdurant
sihabilementsulecacher
Touteàlajoiefolle
detedonnernue
ausoleildru
d’août
Touteàl’illusion
d’êtrelibérée
d’unamourquitepèseàlalongue
TouteenfinàcetteCôted’Azur
pastropretrouvée
etàlaquellemaintenantt’attachent
desinstantsdebonheuràt’encroire
spirituel
Touteàtonbesoin
touteàtajoie
touteàl’illusion
38
touteàcetteCôted’Azur
touteenfinàtoi-mêmeetseule
maisrien
maisencoretoujoursrien
etrienàmoncasierd’hôtel
sicen’est
pauvrependu
lacléquisebalance
laclefquis’enbalance
39
ALLFORTHISNEEDTOESCAPE
satisfiedjustrecently
havingbeenhiddensowell
formonths
Allforthemadjoy
ofofferingyounaked
totheabundantsun
ofAugust
Allfortheillusion
ofbeingfree
fromalovenowweighingonyou
AllintheendfortheCôted’Azur
rarelyrevisited
wheremomentsofhappinessnowsticktoyou
frombelievingthatyouwere
spiritual
Allforyourneed
allforyourjoy
allfortheillusion
40
allforthatCôted’Azur
allintheendforyoualone
butnothing
stillnothing
eachdaynothinginmyhotelbox
exceptfor
thathumblehangman
mykey
hangingbyathread
hanginginthebalance
41
TUNESAURASJAMAIS
combien
depuispourtantfortpeu
jelasens
surmoncœur
s’appesantirtatête
tatêtequemesmains
seraientmaintenant
malvenuesàchérir
42
YOUWILLNEVERKNOW
howmuch
andyethowrecently
Ibegantofeelit
onmyheart
weighingonyourhead
yourheadwhichmyhands
wouldnowbe
unwelcometoadore
43
TANDISQU’ILAGONISE
sanspeur
niprêtre
plusblancquedrap
plusessoufflé
qu’untrainquirentreengare
d’unfabuleuxparcours
l’amourrâleunpoème
commed’autres
confientundernieracte
Etlesversd’eux-mêmes
s’inscrivent
aufrontondumausoléemarmoréen
deboutàl’imageagrandie
decequifut
aurythmed’unenuit
afro-cubaine
44
WHILEHEAGONIZES
fearless
andpriestless
whiterthanasheet
andmorewinded
thanatrainreturningtothestation
fromafantasticjourney
lovegaspsoutapoem
thewayothers
confesstheirdyingwords
Andtheversesoftheirownaccord
inscribethemselves
inamausoleum’smarmorealfaçade
erectedtothegrandioseimage
ofwhathadbeen
intherhythmofan
Afro-Cubannight
45
QUANDMALGRÉMOI
bienmalgréjepense
qu’aubrasd’unautre
tudors
alors
matêteentremesmainsbrûlantes
alorsmoncœurmoncœur
monpauvrecœurmalade
alorsseulementjeréalise
l’horreur
lapleinehorreur
lalaideur
toutelalaideur
d’unevieétrangeetmienne
mursbleus
mursnus
mursblancsd’hôtelgris
mursnusd’hôtelgris
qu’emplitl’écœurementd’unéreintanttic-tac
qu’importepuisque
malgrémoibienmalgrémoijepensequ’aubrasd’unautre
46
tudors
commed’uneriveàl’autre
heureuseetcalme
l’eaudort
47
WHENINSPITEOFMYSELF
trulyinspiteIthink
ofyouinanother’sarms
asleep
then
myheadbetweenmyburninghands
thenmyheartmyheart
mypoorheavyheart
onlythendoIrealize
thehorror
thesimplehorror
theugliness
alltheugliness
ofalifebothstrangeandmine
bluewalls
barewalls
blankwallsinagrayhotel
barewallsinagrayhotel
densewiththedisgustofadeafeningtick-tock
nomattersince
inspiteofmyselftrulyinspiteIthinkofyouinanother’sarms
48
asleep
justasfromonebanktoanother
happyandcalm
watersleeps
49
TOUJOURSCESMOTS
toujourslesmêmes
dontilnesemblepas
qu’elleaitencore
jamaisjamais
saisisurl’heure
toutel’inutilecruauté
50
ALWAYSTHESEWORDS
alwaysthesame
ofwhichitseems
shemightstill
nevernever
havegraspedstraightaway
allofthepointlesscruelty
51
AIMERTOUTCOMMEHIER
quesansfrapper
elleouvre
entre
comme
jamaispersonne
d’autre
c’estencoreattendre
desheures
delonguesheures
ensifflotant
toujourslemêmeairdefou
debout
contrelavitreembuée
oùmontent
lebruitlourd
l’odeurdujourquivabientôtfinir
52
LOVINGJUSTLIKEYESTERDAY
whenwithoutknocking
sheopens
enters
like
nobody
else
onceagainwaiting
forhours
forlonghours
whistling
alwaysthatsamemadair
standing
atthefoggedwindow
where
aheavynoiserises
withtheodorofadaythatwillsoonend
53
ETMAINTENANT
vois-tu
maintenantquelesétoilesensontvenues
àfilertoutes
àuntraindechauffard
Inutiled’implorer
L’existencedeDieusefait
plusquejamais
problématique
Passéminuitpasséminuit
minuitpassé
Inutiled’insister
Radio-Radion’émettra
nile
Boléro
niles
Balletsrusses
54
Dugestelargedusemeur
inutileàdistance
d’empoisonnerlaMer
Lapieuvreinvulnérable
renaîttoujoursd’Elle-même
Entrenous
pasdecadavres
Inutiled’évoquer
latendresse
desélansde
NAGUÈRE
Etsurtout
unefoispourtoutes
tiens-lepourditdebon
tiens-lepourditdevrai
tiens-lepourditdesûr
ettoujoursentreguillemets
55
AVANTlaNOCEonaffûte
lesCOUTEAUX
Inutile
devouloiraprèscoup
devouloiràtoutprix
souleveràtoutprixleMonde
LeMondeavois-tu
biend’autreschosesentête
quedes’attendrirsurunfruitmûrpiquédesvers
surdesamoursfrappéesàmortdudouteamer
56
ANDNOW
doyousee
nowthatthestarshavecomeout
flyingby
atbreakneckspeed
Uselesstoimplore
TheexistenceofGodis
nowmorethanever
problematic
Pastmidnightpastmidnight
midnightpassed
Uselesstoinsist
Radio-Radiowilltransmit
neither
Boléro
northe
Balletsrusses
57
Tothesower’swidegesture
uselessfromadistance
forpoisoningtheSea
Theinvulnerableoctopus
isalwaysrebornfromHer-self
Noskeletons
betweenus
Uselesstoevoke
tenderness
fromtheecstasiesof
TIMESPAST
Andaboveall
onceandforall
takeitasreadforgood
takeitasreadfortruth
takeitasreadforsure
andalwaysinquotes
58
BEFOREtheWEDDINGwesharpen
theKNIVES
Useless
towishafterthefact
towishatanycost
tochangetheTimesatanycost
TheTimesyousee
havemanyotherthingsinmind
besidesweepingoveraripefruitpickedfromthewrithing
linesoflovesstruckdeadbybitterdoubt
59
JEPENSEAUSALUTDEL’AMOURDANSLAFUITE
loindematinsàpoubelles
loindecrachatsgelésl’hiver
loind’unsoleildeconfection
toujoursprêtàporterlamort
loindemainstenduesàlabellecharitéchrétienne
loindetant
ettantdevisagesdehaine
loindenuages
quenulnevoits’amonceler
etquimenacentderompresoudain
lecharmedetantdetête-à-têteendimanchés
joyeuxdel’être
60
ITHINKOFLOVE’SGOODBYEKISS
farfromthetrashcanmornings
farfromwinter’sfrozenspit
farfromabespokesun
alwaysreadytoweardeath
farfromthehandsreachingouttobeautifulChristiancharity
farfromsomany
andsomanyfacesofhate
farfromclouds
whichnooneseesgathering
andwhichthreatentosuddenlyburst
thecharmofsomanytête-à-têtesintheirSundaybest
happytobeso
61
DEPUISBIENTÔT
déjà
troisans
farouchementhostile
àtoutélan
aumoindreépanchement
lecœurn’aplus
qu’àsecomplaire
danslerudeetcalmeetdur
regretdejours
qu’ileûtmieuxvalu
n’avoirjamaisd’unevied’homme
vuluire
62
FORNEARLY
threeyears
already
fiercelyhostile
toalldesire
totheslightesteffusion
thehearthasnothingleft
buttobask
intheharshandcalmandhard
regret
thatitwouldhavebeenbetter
nottohaveseeninallit’slife
thoseshiningdays
63
JAMAISPLUS
jamaisplusuneaprès-midichaudesurdeux
d’illusions
derêves
lapâleangoisselafolleinquietude
n’aurontàserongerlesongles
d’attendreàlafenêtrequiregardaitd’unœilvague
legazoninclinédujardinsurlequeldeuxchèreschosespépiaientsitendrement
l’amour
Carjamaisplus
jamaisplusuneaprès-midichaudesurdeuxd’illusionsderêves
lapaleangoisselafolleinquiétudeàserongerlesongles
d’attendreàlafenêtre
quiregardaitd’unœilvague
legazoninclinédujardinsurlequeldeuxchèreschosesprépiaientsitendrement
l’amour
neverrontplusjamaiss’envenir
ledouxsourirdesrosesrouges
64
NEVERMORE
nevermoreonehotafternoonoutoftwo
withillusions
withdreams
willpaleanguishandmadworry
havetobitetheirnails
waitingatthewindowthatcastsablurryeye
ontheslopinglawnofthegardenwheretwodearthingschirpedsotenderlyof
love
Fornevermore
nevermoreonehotafternoonoutoftwowithillusionswithdreams
willpaleanguishandmadworrybitetheirnails
waitingatthewindow
thatcastsablurryeye
ontheslopinglawnofthegardenwheretwodearthingschirpedsotenderlyof
love
theywillnevermoreseethecomingof
theredroses’softsmile
65
ILN’ESTPASDEMIDIQUITIENNE
etbienparcequ’iln’aplusvingtansmoncœur
niladentduredepetitevieille
iln’estpasdemidiquitienne
Prenez-endoncvotreparti
vousautres
quineparlezjamaisd’amour
sansmajuscule
etlarmeencoin
iln’estpasdemidiquitienne
Jel’ouvrirai
pasdemidiquitienne
Jel’ouvrirai
pasdemidiquitienne
J’ouvrirailafenêtreauprintempsquejeveuxéternel
66
THEREISNOENDURINGNOON
becausemyheartisnolongertwentyyearsold
andnolongerhasthesharptongueofanoldwoman
thereisnoenduringnoon
Sochooseyourside
youothers
whoneverspeakoflove
withoutacapitalL
andatearinyoureye
thereisnoenduringnoon
Iwillopenit
noenduringnoon
Iwillopenit
noenduringnoon
IwillopenthewindowtoaspringtimethatIwisheternal
67
IndextoPoemsByFirstLine:French
Aimertoutcommehier......................................................51
Avecunrienmêmededédain................................................29
Commeunrosaire...........................................................5
D’avoiruninstantcru........................................................15
Depuisbientôt...............................................................61
Désird’enfantmalade........................................................27
Elles’envint.................................................................13
Etmaintenant...............................................................53
Ilmesouvientencore........................................................3
Iln’estpasdemidiquitienne................................................65
Jamaisplus..................................................................63
Jenesaisenvérité...........................................................21
Jepenseausalutdel’amourdanslafuite.....................................59
68
Lesvagissements............................................................9
Malgrélessarcasmesdesuns................................................1
Moncœurrêvedebeaucielpavoisédebleu..................................11
Parlafenêtreouverteàdemi.................................................31
PardonneàDieuquiserepent...............................................19
Pourquoi....................................................................17
Quandmalgrémoi...........................................................45
Soudaind’unecruautéfeinte.................................................33
Surlesein...................................................................7
Tandisqu’ilagonise..........................................................43
Toujourscesmots...........................................................49
Touteàcebesoind’évasion..................................................37
Tunesaurasjamais..........................................................41
Vousdontlesricanements...................................................23
69
IndextoPoemsByFirstLine:English
APardontoGodWhoRepents...............................................20
ASickChild’sWish...........................................................28
AllforthisNeedtoEscape...................................................39
AlwaysTheseWords.........................................................50
AndNow....................................................................56
DespitetheSarcasmofSome.................................................2
ForNearly...................................................................62
HavingforOneMomentBelieved.............................................16
IStillRemember.............................................................4
IThinkofLove’sGoodbyeKiss...............................................60
InTruthIDon’tKnow........................................................22
LikeaRosary................................................................6
LovingJustLikeYesterday...................................................52
70
MyHeartDreamsofaBeautifulSkyPavedwithBlue.........................12
Nevermore..................................................................64
OntheBreast................................................................8
SheEscapes.................................................................14
SuddenlywithaSlyCruelty..................................................35
TheWails....................................................................10
ThereIsNoEnduringNoon..................................................66
ThroughtheWindowHalf-Opened...........................................32
WheninSpiteofMyself......................................................47
WhileHeAgonizes...........................................................44
Why.........................................................................18
WiththeSlightestBitofDisdain..............................................30
YouWhoseSnickering.......................................................25
YouWillNeverKnow........................................................42
71
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