Apollinaire

Do you like Apollinaire's poems? I'm really having trouble to get used to his style, it's really difficult in terms of understanding what he wants to say.

If you don't know at all who it is, check out

Pont Mirabeau
Zone
Nuit Rhénane (Sorry, I only know the titles in French since we're studying them in French...)

I honestly like his ideas, but it's way too surrealistic; even though critics don't classify him as a forerunner, I think he's got what it takes.

I'd like to hear what you think :)

Guillaume Apollinaire
(from Alcools, 1913)
first published, Feb. 1912
Apollinaire reading the poem (1:14): MP3
& settings by Léo Ferré, Serge Reggiani, Marc Lavoine



Le pont Mirabeau

Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Et nos amours
Faut-il qu'il m'en souvienne
La joie venait toujours après la peine
Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure

Les mains dans les mains restons face à face
Tandis que sous
Le pont de nos bras passe
Des éternels regards l'onde si lasse

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure

L'amour s'en va comme cette eau courante
L'amour s'en va
Comme la vie est lente
Et comme l'Espérance est violente

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure

Passent les jours et passent les semaines
Ni temps passé
Ni les amours reviennent
Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine

Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure
Les jours s'en vont je demeure



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mirabeau Bridge
Translated by Richard Wilbur

Under the Mirabeau Bridge there flows the Seine
Must I recall
Our loves recall how then
After each sorrow joy came back again

Let night come on bells end the day
The days go by me still I stay

Hands joined and face to face let's stay just so
While underneath
The bridge of our arms shall go
Weary of endless looks the river's flow

Let night come on bells end the day
The days go by me still I stay

All love goes by as water to the sea
All love goes by
How slow life seems to me
How violent the hope of love can be

Let night come on bells end the day
The days go by me still I stay

The days the weeks pass by beyond our ken
Neither time past
Nor love comes back again
Under the Mirabeau Bridge there flows the Seine

Let night come on bells end the day
The days go by me still I stay

I'm afraid I haven't read much of Apollinaire, but I like what I've read so far, and I have translated two of his poems, Un soir d''été and La France. It might help to read other French symbolist poets, and also to familiarise yourself with symbolist art. The bilingual Modern French Poets, published by Dover is a good place to start. Unfortunately, it doesn't include my favourite French poet, Louis Arragon (whom I've also been translating) but it contains such poets as Max Jacob, André Breton and Robert Desnos. Deep reading of their poetry should prove quite rewarding.

For the visual arts, I recommend Norbert Wolf's Symbolism, published by Taschen.