The Anchor Anthology of French Poetry

307 Pages·2009·3.75 MB·English

The Anchor Anthology
of French Poetry
The Anchor Anthology
of French Poetry
From Nerval to Valery
in English Translation
EDITED BY ANGEL FLOHES
INTRODUCTION BY PATTI SMITH
ANCHOR BOOKS
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York
ANCHOR BOOKS EDITIONS, 1958, 2000
Copyright © 1958, copyright renewed 1986 hy Angel Flores
Introduction copyright © 2000 hy Patti Smith
All rights reselved under International and Pan-Amel1can
Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by
Anchor Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York,
and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada
Limited, Toronto. Originally published in paperback in the
United States by Anchor Books in 1958, under the title An
Anthology of French Poetry from NenJal to Valery in English
Translation.
Anchor Books and colophon are registered trademarks of
Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Canl Numher 58-5937
ANCHOR ISBN: 0-385-49888-8
www.anchorbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface xvii
Introduction by Patti Smith xix
GERARD DE NERVAL (1808--1855)
La Main enchantee (1832)
The Bewitched Hand (excerpt)
(ANGEL FLORES) 5
Petits Chateaux de Boheme (1852)
Fantasy (A:\ITHONY BOWER) 7
Fantaisie
The Cyndalises (DAISY ALDAN) 8
Les Cydalises
The Dark Blot (RICHMOND LATTIMORE) 8
Le Point noir
Les Filles du Feu (1854)
El Desdichado (RICHMOND LATTIMORE) 9
EI Desdichado
Myrtho (JOSEPH BENNETT) 10
Myrtho
Horus (BARBARA HOWES) 10
Horus
Anteros (BARBARA HOWES) 11
Anteros
De!phica (RICHMOND LATTIMORE) 12
Deljlca
Artemis (BARBARA HOWES) 12
Artemis
Golden Verses (DAISY ALDAN) 13
Vers dares
CHARLES BAUDELAIRE (1821-1867)
Les Fleurs du Mal (1857, 1861, 1868)
To the Reader (STANLEY KUNITZ) 17
Au Lecteur
Benediction (STEPHEN STEPANCHEV)
Benediction
vi CONTENTS
The Albatross (KATE FLORES) 21.
L'Albatros
Correspondences (KATE FLORES) 21.
Co rrespondances
The Enemy (VERNON WATKINS) 22
L'Ennemi
The Former Life (DWIGIIT DURLING) 23
La Vie anterieure
Beauty (BERT M-P. LEEFMANS) 23
La Beaute
Posthumous Remorse (BARBARA GIBBS) 24
Remords pog(;hume
I offer you this verse •.. (VERNON WATKINS) 25
Je te donne CC8 vers ...
The Vial (KATE FLORES) 25
Le Flacon
Invitation to the Voyage (RICHARD WIT.BUR) 26
L'Invitation au voyage
Music (ROBERT FITZGERALD) 28
La Musique
The Cracked Bell (VER."TON WATKINS) 28
La Cloche felee
Spleen (BARBARA GIBBS) 29
Spleen
Heautontimoroumenos (BERT M-P. LEEFMANS) 30
L'Heautontimoroumenos
Landscape (VERNON WATKINS) 31
Paysage
The Swan (KATE FLORES) 32
Le Cygne
The Seven Old Men (BARBARA GIBBS) 34
Les Sept vieillards
The Little Old Women (BARBARA GIBBS) 36
Les Petites meilles
The Love of Deceit (DWIGHT DURLING) 39
L'A mour du mensonge
I have not forgotten .•. (VERNON WATKINS) 40
/e n'ai pas oublie ...
Morning Twilight (BARBARA GIBBS) 40
Le Crepuscule du maNn
CONTENTS vii
Beatrice (STEPHEN STEPANCHEV) 41
La Beatrice
A Voyage to Cythera (FREDERICK MORGAN) 42
a
Un Voyage Cythere
The Voyage (BARBARA GIBBS) 45
Le Voyage
Lesbos (BARBARA GIBBS) 51
Lesbos
Lethe (BARBARA GIBBS) 53
Le Lethe
Epigraph for a Condemned Book
(KATE FLORES) 54
Epigraphe pour un livre condamne
Meditation (DWIGHT DURLING) 55
Recueillement
The Gulf (KATE FLORES) 55
Le Gouffre
Le Spleen de Paris (1869)
At One O'Clock in the Morning (BEnT M-P.
LEEFMANS) 56
A Une Heure du matin
Be Drunk (WILLIAM M. DAVIS) 57
Enivrez-vous
Anywhere Out of the World
(WILLIAM M. DAVIS) 58
Anywhere Out of the W orid
TRISTAN CORBIERE (1845-1875)
Les Amours jaunes (1873)
After the Rain (KENNETH KOCH AND
GEORGES GUY) 63
Apres la pluie
Insomnia (KENNETH KOCH AND GEORGES GUY) 66
lnsomnie
The Toad (VERNON WATKINS) 67
Le Crapaud
Hours (KENNETH KOCH AND GEORGES GUY) 68
Heures
To My Mouse-colored Mare (DUDLEY FITTS) 68
A ma /ument souris
Rhapsody of the Deaf Man (KATEFLOTIES) 69
Rapsodie du sourd
viii CONTENTS
To Mount .lEtna (DUDLEY FITTS) 72
A l'Etna
Evil Landscape (KENNETH KOCH AND
GEORGES GUY) 72
Paysage mauvais
Blind Man's Cries (KENNETH KOCH Ac"ID
GEORGES GUY) 73
Cris ifa veugle
Letter from Mexico (KATE FLORES) 76
Lettre du Mexique
Cabin-Kid (DUDLEY FITTS) 77
Le Mousse
The End (KATE FLORES) 78
La Fin
Paris at Night (KEI'.'NETH KOCH AND
GEORGES GUY) 80
Paris Nocturne
Rondel (KATE FLORES) 81
Randel
Sleep, baby, sleep ... (KATE FLORES) 81
Do, l'Enfant do . . .
Kazoo (KATE FLORES) 82
Mirliton
Small Death to Laugh (KATE FLORES) 82
Petit Mort pour rire
PAUL VERLAINE (1844--1896)
Poemes Saturniens (1867)
My Recurring Dream (MURIEL KITTEL) 85
M on Reve familier
Anguish (KATE FLORES) 85
L'Angoisse
The Shepherd's Hour (MURIEL KITTEL) 86
L'Heure du berger
The Nightingale (MURIEL KITTEL) 87
Le Rossignol
In the Woods (MURIEL KITTEL) 88
Dam le Bois
Fetes Galantes (1869)
Moonlight (MURIEL KITTEL) 89
Clair de lune
CONTENTS ix
Sentimental Dialogue (MURIEL KITTEL) 89
CoUoque sentimental
La Bonne Chanson (1870)
The White Moon (KATE FLORES) 90
La Lune blanche
The noise of the cabarets ..• (KATE FLORES) 91
Le bruit des cabarets. . .
Romances sans paroles (1874)
Tears flow in my heart •.. (MURIEL KITTEL) 92
1l pleure dans mon cmur. . .
Oh sad, sad was my soul. . . (MURIEL KITTEL) 92
o ame. . .
triste, triste etait 11Wn
In the unending tedium. , . (MURIEL KITTEL) 93
Dans l'interminable ennui. . .
Sagesse (1881)
Give ear to the very faint song.
(VERNON WATKINS) 94
Ecoutez la chanson bien douce. . .
And I have seen again the marvelous child.
(VERNON WATKINS) 95
Et rai reva l'enfant unique . ..
God said. . . (MURIEL KITTEL) 96
Man Dieu m'a dU . •.
A great dark sleep ... (KATE FLORES) 97
Un grand sommeil noir . . .
The sky above the roof ... (MURIEL KITTEL) 97
Le ciel est, par-dessus 1e toit. . .
I know not why ... (MURIEL KITTEL) 98
Je ne sais pourquoi . . .
Jadis of Naguere (1884)
The Art of Poetry (MURIEL KITTEL) 99
Art poetique
Apathy (MURIEL KITTEL) 100
Langueur
ARTHUR RIMBAUD (1854-1891)
Poesies
Ophelia (DAISY ALDAN) 105
OpMUe (1870)
My Bohemia (LOUISE VARESE) 106
Ma Boheme (1870)
x CONTENTS
Poets Seven Years Old (KENNETH KOCH AND
GEORGES GUY) 107
Les Poetes de sept ans (1871)
The Lice Seekers (KENNETH KOCH AND
GEORGES GUY) 109
Les Chercheuses de poux (1871)
The Drunken Boat (STEPHEN STEPANCHEV) 109
Le Bateau ivre (1871)
Vowels (LOUISE VA.11.:ESE) l.l3
Voyelles (1871)
Memory (LOUISE VA.11.:ESE) 113
Memoire (1872)
What to us, my heart •.. (LomsE VARESE) 115
Qu'est-ce pour nous, mOn Gmur ... (1872)
Michael and Christine (LOUISE VARESE) 116
Michel et Christine (1872)
Tear (CLAffiE MCALLISTER) 117
Larme (1872 )
Song of the Highest Tower (KATE FLORES) 118
Chanson de la plus haute tour (1872)
Eternity (FRANCIS GOLFFlNG) 119
L'Eternite (1872)
Young Couple (LOUISE VARESE) 120
Jeune Menage (1872)
Brussels (LOUISE VA:aESE) 121
Bruxelles (1872 )
Shame (LOUISE v ARESE) 123
Honte (1872)
Une Saison en Enfer (1873)
Once long ago ••• (WILLIAM M. DAVIS) 124
Jadis ..•
III Will (WILLIAM M. DAVIS) 125
Mauvais sang
The Alchemy of Words (BERT M-P.
LEEFMANS-WILLIAM M. DAVIS) 126
Alchimie du verbe
Morning (WILLIAM M. DAVIS) 129
Malin
Les Illuminations (1886)
Bally (FREDERICK MORGAN) 129
Parade