This translation of surrealist poetry is accompanied by a detail from “Hands at Grand Canyon,” 40 x 30 oil on canvas by Alvaro Ibañez.
A perte de vue dans le sens de mon corps, Paul Éluard
Translation by Denise DeVries
Beyond the horizon in the sense of my body
All the trees all their branches all their
leaves
The grass at the root of the rocks and houses in masses
Along the sea for your eye to bathe
These images of one day after another
Vices and virtues equally imperfect
Transparency of passers-by on the roads of
Chance
And pedestrians exhaled by your obstinate
seeking
Your lead-hearted obsessions with pristine lips
Vices and virtues equally imperfect
Kinship of permissive glances
with the
eyes that you conquer
The confusion of bodies lassitude of ardor
Imitation of words attitudes ideas
Vices and virtues equally imperfect
Love is man unfinished.
~~~
Tous les arbres toutes leurs branches toutes leurs
feuilles
L’herbe à la base les rochers et les maisons en masse
Au loin la mer que ton œil baigne
Ces images d’un jour après l’autre
Les vices les vertus tellement imparfaits
La transparence des passants dans les rues de
hasard
Et les passantes exhalées par tes recherches obstinées
Tes idées fixes au cœur de plomb aux lèvres vierges
Les vices les vertus tellement imparfaits
La ressemblance des regards de permission avec les
yeux que tu conquis
La confusion des corps des lassitudes des ardeurs
L’imitation des mots des attitudes des idées
Les vices les vertus tellement imparfaits
L’amour c’est l’homme inachevé.
[…] blackout poems (seen below) from my translations of Paul Éluard’s poems “Vers minuit” and “A perte de vue dans le sens de mon corps,” part of my exploration of surrealist poetry. The meter maid comes from one of the translations […]
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