Tuesday, February 25

Déjeuner du matin

by Jacques Prévert

Il a mis le café
Dans la tasse Il a mis le lait Dans la tasse de café
Dans le café au lait
Et il a reposé la tasse
Sans me parler
Il a allumé
Une cigarette
Il a fait des ronds
Avec la fumée
Il a mis les cendres
Dans le cendrier
Sans me parler
Sans me regarder
Il s'est levé
Il a mis
Son chapeau sur sa tête
Il a mis
Son manteau de pluie
Parce qu'il pleuvait
Et il est parti
Sous la pluie
Sans une parole
Sans me regarder
Et moi j'ai pris
Ma tête dans ma main
Et j'ai pleuré..

Il a mis le sucre

He put the coffee
in the cup
He put the milk
in the cup of coffee
He put the sugar
In the cup of milk coffee
And he sat down the cup
without talking to me
He lit
a cigarette
He made rings
with smoke
He put the ashes
in the ashtray
without talking to me
without looking at me
he stood up
He put
his hat on his head
He put
his raincoat on
Because it was raining
And he left
in the rain
without a word
without looking at me
And I took
my head in my hands
And I cried...

(my translation)

Besides being one of the few French poems I can read, I like the repetition of this poem.  I like the emotions evoked by the way the words are partitioned.  I like that it starts with coffee, that I can picture it because I have been there, at a café in France.  I am glad I was not there in the rain.  I am glad I was not left without words, crying.

No comments:

Post a Comment