not to take the curve of things

11:59 PM Posted by James Owens



Être mort

Quel effort pour ne pas prendre la courbe des choses
Pour ne pas épouser la forme de son ombre

L’angoisse sue aux portes de la nuit
Le vent charrie des oiseaux taciturnes
Mêlés de rires
Et l’eau se berce aux bras de ses noyés

Quel effort pour ne pas
Prendre la courbe du temps

Quand l’astre dit minuit
Et l’horloge est silence
Et l’heure est prisonnière
De son déroulement

Libre captée
Visage d’agonie
Visage spolié

Quel effort pour ne pas être mort


André Brochu












Being dead

Such effort not to take the curve of things
Not to marry the shape of one’s shadow

Anguish sweats at the doors of night
Wind carries away taciturn birds
Mixed with laughter
And the water rocks itself in the arms of its victims

Such effort not
To take the curve of time

When the star says midnight
And the clock is silence
And the hour is prisoner
Of its own unrolling

Freed captive
Face of agony
Stripped face

Such effort not to be dead

.

6 comments:

Dianne said...

In one word....

om

I have to read this several times

Marion McCready said...

I'm off to look up Andre Brochu!!

Roxana said...

the images are dreams.

and i am so in love with:
Quel effort pour ne pas prendre la courbe des choses
Pour ne pas épouser la forme de son ombre

after such a fabulous beginning, it is so difficult to keep writing the poem - no? :-)

James Owens said...

Dianne: Thanks for coming by and reading.

James Owens said...

Sorlil: Actually, I don't know much about him myself, lol. He is from Quebec, though. This poem just happens to be in an anthology I've been reading....

James Owens said...

Roxana: Yes :-) Somehow, you always know.... Those two lines are why I wanted to translate the poem ... I like "l’eau se berce aux bras de ses noyés", but those first lines are what stays with me....