A is for Apollinaire (my favorite poets from A to Z - volume 1 of a new series)

I forget where I learned of Guillaume Apollinaire originally - but I know it was sometime in the very early 1990's when I was trying to learn French and spending countless hours immersing myself in that language's ocean of surrealist and symbolist poetry.

Apollinaire coined the word surrealism.

He was the an influential early champion of cubism.

In addition to being a fine poet and art critic, he semi-secretly wrote erotica, which was banned in France until long after his death.

He was once arrested on suspicion of stealing the Mona Lisa.

His best friends included Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Erik Satie, Jean Cocteau and Marcel Duchamp.

At age 36, he was wounded by shrapnel to the head in World War I.

He died at age 38 during the Spanish flu pandemic.



According to at least one critic, "Apollinaire has been so influential that without him there would have been no New York School of poetry and no Beat Movement."  Here's a sample of his work - an appetizer of sorts, called "Le pont Mirabeau" ("The Mirabeau Bridge").  Since there is no substitute for the original French, which contains brilliant imagery and turns of phrase that are difficult to render into English without losing some of their magnificence, I will post the original first, followed by an English translation by John Irons.


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



Guillaume Apollinaire sporting his war wound bandage



The Mirabeau Bridge 

Under the Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine
And all our loves
Why does it make so plain
That any joy must always follow pain
 
Let the night come the hour sound clear
The days all pass I’m still here
 
Our hands intertwined let’s stay face to face
While far below
The bridge of our arms strays
The languid wave of each endless gaze

Let the night come the hour sound clear
The days all pass I’m still here
 
Our love drifts away like these waters flow
Love drifts away
And our lives are so slow
With Hope more violent than we could know
 
Let the night come the hour sound clear
The days all pass I’m still here.
 
The days and weeks pass in a ceaseless train
But no past time 
Or past love comes again
Under the Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine
 
Let the night come the hour sound clear
The days all pass I’m still here.





















 
* * *

Here are a couple of graphic poems by Apollinaire in his own hand.
Needless to say, they are very difficult to translate:






For a free e-book dowload of Apollinaire's poetry collection Alcools (my favorite) in French
click here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/15462

For a pretty good online biography of Apollinaire
click here: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/apollina.htm

To order Apollinaire-related materials from my Amazon bookstore:


     

Posted by Jesus Crisis at 4/29/2008 3:10 PM
Categories: Poetry by Others, Favorite Poets from A to Z

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  • 4/29/2008 5:50 PM Chris Brooks wrote:
    Cool.. I've never heard of him.. I love the poems that are also art.... very neat.

    I hope you do something on R.M.Rilke when you get to the R's... he's one of my favorites. The few I've actually read...
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 5:51 PM Chris Brooks wrote:
      Sorry for the typos... yikes!!
      Reply to this
    2. 4/29/2008 6:11 PM JC wrote:
      Thanks, Chris!  Though there are so many good poets in the R's, I do very much like Rilke.

      And if there were any typos in your comment, the gods of poetry must have fixed them.

      I just found an even better translation of Mirabeau Bridge here :

      Mirabeau Bridge  
      by Guillaume Apollinaire
      Translated by Donald Revell 

      Under Mirabeau Bridge the river slips away

             And lovers

           Must I be reminded

      Joy came always after pain

      

             The night is a clock chiming

             The days go by not I

      

      We're face to face and hand in hand 

             While under the bridges

           Of embrace expire

      Eternal tired tidal eyes

      

             The night is a clock chiming

             The days go by not I

      

      Love elapses like the river

             Love goes by

           Poor life is indolent

      And expectation always violent

      

             The night is a clock chiming

             The days go by not I

      

      The days and equally the weeks elapse 

             The past remains the past

           Love remains lost

      Under Mirabeau Bridge the river slips away

      

             The night is a clock chiming

             The days go by not I


      From Alcools by Guillaume Apollinaire, translated by Donald Revell. Copyright © 1995 by Donald Revell. Published by Wesleyan University Press. All rights reserved.



      Reply to this
      1. 4/29/2008 6:15 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
        The Revell version loses the rhyme and meter of the French original, but does a better job than the English translation by Irons of conveying the melandcholy beauty and poetry that make Apollinaire one of my favorites.

        Revell is the translator of the edition of Alcools in my Amazon book link above.  "Mirabeau Bridge" is from Alcools.
        Reply to this
        1. 4/29/2008 6:47 PM Chris Brooks wrote:
          Thanks... posting up different translations is good. Because just like the Tao Te Ching... it fills out the meaning the original author might have been trying to convey which sometimes gets lost in one particular persons translation. People read different things into what they read...
          Reply to this
        2. 4/29/2008 7:26 PM Elena wrote:
          Here's another translation by Anne Hyde Greet, published in her version of Alcools in second printing of 1974 by the U. of California Press.

          Mirabeau Bridge

          Past Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine
          And our love
          Must I remember
          Joy followed always after pain

          Let night come sound the hour
          Time draws in I remain

          Hand in hand let us stay face to face
          While past the
          Bridge of our embrace
          Flows one long look's weary wave

          Let night come sound the hour
          Time draws in I remain

          Love creeps by like the flowing tide
          Love slips by
          How slow is life and
          Expectation how violent

          Let night come sound the hour
          Time draws in I remain

          Days creep by and the weeks creep by
          Neither past
          Time no loves return
          Past Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine

          Let night come sound the hour
          Time draws in I remain
          Reply to this
          1. 4/29/2008 7:36 PM Elena wrote:
            Correction:
            Days creep by and the weeks creep by
            Neither past
            Time nor loves return
            Past Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine

            (nor makes better sense than "no")

            This, by the way, is exactly how I feel tonight.
            Reply to this
            1. 4/29/2008 8:33 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
              Thank you for sharing yet another translation, Elena!  I hadn't read this one before; but if I'm not mistaken, I recall seeing this translation in your personal library when I was perusing the shelves.  So many great books I wish I'd had time to digest at your house....
              Reply to this
      2. 4/30/2008 1:06 AM lady liberty wrote:
        the 1st translation didn't really affect me much; the second was much more melancholy, and pulled me in tighter. At times like this, I wish I had even a passable familiarity with French
        Reply to this
        1. 4/30/2008 9:06 AM Jesus Crisis wrote:
          The second seems to draw me in tighter as well - good description!  And I wish I hadn't allowed myself to get so rusty with French - it's one of the most beautiful languages - especially for poetry.

          Thanks, Lady Liberty!
          Reply to this
  • 4/29/2008 6:44 PM mb aka susannah dean wrote:
    wow john, that is an amazingly beautiful poem, by an artist whose work i am completely unfamiliar with.

    everything about this blog is beautiful, inspiring. and informative.

    i see some link clicking in my future...
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 7:37 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Wow... thank you, mb!  I'm happy you feel that way.

      It's a shame that he died so young.  He was really in his artistic prime at the time.
      Reply to this
  • 4/29/2008 6:56 PM Pugzz wrote:
    I have never really spent much time with poetry. Shame really. I love art and art history, music and reading but I never give poetry a try.

    Apollinaire is beautiful...and I love the people he gave company to. I'll study this more.
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 8:41 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      I appreciate your comments, my friend.  I go in phases when I'm really into it - and then I move on to other artistic or non-artistic realms for a season after I glut myself.  But I always seem to return to poetry (for a psychic recharging and creative spurring) before too long.  Glad you like Apollinaire!...
      Reply to this
  • 4/29/2008 7:27 PM lady wrote:
    RE studying French: I wanted to be a philologist at one point. Took three yrs of French & German in high school, tried to learn Latin on my own then too. In college I took a semester of Classical Greek, but ended up getting an Electrical Engineering degree. Also studied Japanese, Russian and Italian on my own. Tried to learn Croatian recently. Started to understand spoken French in Morocco and France. Then lately I'm reading and writing, speaking and comprehending Spanish.

    It seems I'm moving toward my original impulse to speak several languages. Engineering was the wrong choice. Language is key to understanding the world.

    The sample of Apollinaire's poetry seems kind of too sentimental in an old-timey way, too full of general terms and big broad metaphors. But I like those poem drawings.
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 8:29 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Thanks, Lady!  Quite interesting feedback!

      What you've said about the sample goes a long way toward explaining why I prefer the unrhymed alternate translation that I posted in response to Chris' comment to the one I posted in the blog proper.  I almost didn't choose a foreign-language poet because the translations (especially the older, uncopyrighted ones) often pale in comparison to the original.  But I couldn't resist Apollinaire.  Like Byron, the man fascinates me every bit as much as his poetry does.

      I have always had a love for languages.  Studied Spanish 1 year in high school and 3 in college, French for a year in college, and Sanskrit, Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek for a few years in prison....  I never feel like I have enough time (or contact with native speakers, which I believe is essential), to master them.

      Interestingly, Apollinaire also lived in Belgium for a while in his youth and wrote poetry in the Walloon language.
      Reply to this
  • 4/29/2008 8:15 PM Susan wrote:
    This poem takes me back to the days spent in Paris, overlooking the Seine from Pont Mirabeau.
    "You walk towards Auteuil, you want to go home on foot.../Shepherdess, oh my Tour Eiffel, the flock of bridges bleats this morning...".

    I lived in the 16th arrondisment at 32 Rue Molitor. It was a fabulous time for me. Thanks for the memories! I love Paris!! The passing of time and the nature of love reflect in the flowing water.
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 8:45 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Merci beaucoup, Susan, for making the whole scene more tangible, more real for me.

      Lovely!
      Reply to this
  • 4/29/2008 8:46 PM smith wrote:
    Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Erik Satie, Jean Cocteau and Marcel Duchamp - i'd love to drink absinthe with that group.

    "famous faces in golden places . . ."
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 9:12 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Me too....

      Just for you, The Absinthe Drinkers by Degas:

      The Absinthe Drinkers

      Reply to this
  • 4/29/2008 8:55 PM suzette wrote:
    Never heard of him, not surprising, I know so little about poetry...except that I love reading and being moved by it. This guy was good, so sad he died so young.
    Hugs,
    Suze
    Reply to this
    1. 4/29/2008 9:50 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Thanks, Suzette!

      If you "love reading it and being moved by it," you might just know all you need to know.   When critics start blathering on about how much they know, they often detract from the poem and the poetic experience.  In the past (and sometimes still) I've been known to want to elaborate too much - and thereby demonstrate little but my own ignorance (ha!).  Conversely, though, I believe that by sharing our impressions with each other, we help make the poetry more meaningful for everyone involved.  Anyway... perhaps this is one of those times when I'm doing too much blathering... lol.

      Definitely sad about his early demise - think of how much more he might have done....
      Reply to this
      1. 4/30/2008 10:22 AM Elena wrote:
        It would be interesting to find out how many great poets died before they reached the age of 41. Just a thought for another blog for you John. Lorca was assassinated in Granada by the fascists when he was only 39 but had reached world fame by that age.
        Reply to this
        1. 4/30/2008 10:44 AM Jesus Crisis wrote:
          Wilde was 46, Rimbaud 37, Keats 25, Plath 30, Byron 36, Jim Morrison 27, Dylan Thomas 39, Baudelaire 46, P.B. Shelley 29....

          There are many who lived much longer, like Coleridge, Hughes, Whitman, Ginsberg, Verlaine, Eliot, cummings, Dickinson....

          But it seems more great poets die young than do folks in a lot of other professions.


          Reply to this
  • 4/30/2008 9:36 PM Munga wrote:
    This is the second time that you have introduced me to beautiful poetry mon ami.
    First, let me tell you something that is true about me. I am a natural born Cajun from S/W Louisiana. My mother's first language is French. And even though the French from France is slightly different from the French from Acadia, it has a sound like no other. My opinion only, but it is the most romantic of all the romantic languages. I love reading it even though I cannot pronounce it correctly and completely. It truly does own a mystery and a majesty that English does not.
    His words above are so very true. And how, pray tell, do we tell our children this? How do you explain to your offspring that pain is inevitable but that suffering is not?
    Anyway... I will give this to one of my children who is nursing a severely broken heart. Thank you for the gift.
    Reply to this
    1. 4/30/2008 11:03 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Thank you very much, Munga!  I am always happy to see you here - and I always appreciate your thoughtful and thought-inspiring comments.  I, too, feel that French is the most romantic.  But alas, great heartache sometimes goes hand-in-hand with great romance, it seems.  I wish it were not so.

      Pain is inevitable, but suffering is not?  That, my friend, is brilliant. 

      Wishing your child peace and an even greater love....
      Reply to this
  • 4/30/2008 10:06 PM Munga wrote:
    Oh and Mr. Gilligan Apollinaire (j/k) looks a bit like this guy: David Arquette


    Reply to this
    1. 5/18/2008 9:12 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
      Haha! You think so?
      Reply to this
  • 5/15/2008 6:25 PM Jesus Crisis wrote:
    Here are some comments this post has received on MySpace:

    Tracy~Savage Science Rocks~

    “Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”

    Photobucket

    Kudos and thank you for the tribute for a man many never knew of, yet knew his words.

    Posted by Tracy~Savage Science Rocks~ on May 14, 2008 - Wednesday at 6:06 PM

    Jesus Crisis

    Thank you, Tracy!

    Very cool quotation - and I'm happy you posted another of his amazing pieces!

    Posted by Jesus Crisis on May 14, 2008 - Wednesday at 7:04 PM

    Tracy~Savage Science Rocks~

    Have a smooth day-

    Posted by Tracy~Savage Science Rocks~ on May 15, 2008 - Thursday at 1:17 PM

    Angel

    Thank you for this series!!!!!
    I am a student of Beat Poetry ( newly so) and have not known Apollinaire's influence so I am ever so grateful for this introduction..I am in awe of his mastery and his creative effects with graphic poetry...this is AWESOME!!!!!!

    Posted by Angel on May 14, 2008 - Wednesday at 8:48 PM

    Jesus Crisis

    Thank you so much, Angel!

    I've been posting a lot of poetry blogs lately on my other site (http://crisisblog.crisischronicles.com) but I've finally begun to loosen up a bit about MySpace - and I'm excited about posting some new stuff here.

    Your feedback makes me even happier I made the decision.

    Peace, my friend!

    Posted by Jesus Crisis on May 14, 2008 - Wednesday at 10:35 PM

    Angel

    ps...by the way that poem "come to the edge..." is so freaking cool!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by Angel on May 14, 2008 - Wednesday at 8:49 PM

    ~ Dawn Henderson ~

    I always learn things on your blogs~

    Things I never would have looked to learn, but your blogs make me happy I did learn!

    are you like an undercover teacher or something?

    Posted by ~ Dawn Henderson ~ on May 15, 2008 - Thursday at 9:11 AM

    Jesus Crisis

    Thanks, Dawn!

    In a way, I think we're all undercover teachers.

    Posted by Jesus Crisis on May 15, 2008 - Thursday at 9:22 AM

    My Gypsy Soul

    It was such a pleasure to read this blog and get to know Apollinaire a bit better through it. As an enthusiast of art and poetry, I look forward to the rest of your posts. A mind that can wrap itself around just one concept such as those presented by this man is a mind that can be tuned to some of the most exquisite vibrations on earth.

    Posted by My Gypsy Soul on May 15, 2008 - Thursday at 7:28 PM

    Jesus Crisis

    Thank you very much, MGS!

    Here's a quotation I wish I'd included in the blog:

    "Have compassion for us who are always fighting on the frontiers
    Of the boundless future,
    Compassion for our errors, compassion for our sins."
    - Apollinaire

    Posted by Jesus Crisis on May 16, 2008 - Friday at 2:23 PM

    +*Ren*+

    i love this quote!! very good blog! thank you, thank you!

    Posted by +*Ren*+ on May 18, 2008 - Sunday at 9:14 AM

    Jesus Crisis

    Thank you, too, Ren!

    Posted by Jesus Crisis on May 18, 2008 - Sunday at 6:36 PM


    Reply to this
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