Guillaume Apollinaire

thumb|right|150px|A new language, beyond the reach of grammarians. Guillaume Apollinaire (26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent who was hugely influential as a Modernist poet and as a spokesman for the Cubist painters. His original name appears in many forms along the lines of Wilhelm Albert Vladimir Apollinaris Kostrowitzky or Wąż-Kostrowicki. Quotes De cette alliance nouvelle, car jusqu'ici les décors et les costumes, d'une part, la choréographie, d'autre part, n'avaient entre eux qu'un lien factice, il est résulté, dans Parade, une sorte de sur-réalisme. From this new alliance – for until now costume and scenery on one hand, choreography on the other, have been linked only artificially – there has resulted in Parade a kind of sur-réalisme. Excelsior, May 11, 1917; translation from Michael Benedikt & George E. Wellwarth (eds.) Modern French Theatre (New York: Dutton, 1964) p. xvii. The first usage of the word surrealism in any language. La géométrie est aux arts plastiques ce que la grammaire est à l'art de l'écrivain. Geometry is to the plastic arts what grammar is to the art of the writer. Les peintres cubistes (1913), reprinted in Oeuvres en prose complètes (Paris: Gallimard, 1991) vol. 2, p. 11; translation from Lionel Abel (trans.) The Cubist Painters (New York: Wittenborn, 1949) p. 13. The poems I am writing at the moment will be much closer to your present way of thinking.I am trying to renew poetic style,but within a classical framework.On the other hand,I don't want to lapse into imitating others.Letter to Picasso 1918 Alcools (1912) A la fin tu es las de ce monde ancienBergère ô tour Eiffel le troupeau des ponts bêle ce matinTu en as assez de vivre dans l'antiquité grecque et romaine At last you're tired of this elderly worldShepherdess O Eiffel Tower this morning the bridges are bleatingYou're fed up living with antiquity "Zone", line 1; translation from Donald Revell (trans.) Alcools (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 1995) p. 3. Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la SeineEt nos amoursFaut-il qu'il m'en souvienneLa joie venait toujours après la peineVienne la nuit sonne l'heureLes jours s'en vont je demeure Under Mirabeau Bridge flows the Seine.Why must I be reminded againOf our love?Doesn't happiness issue from pain?Bring on the night, ring out the hour.The days wear on but I endure. "Le Pont Mirabeau" (Mirabeau Bridge), line 1; translation by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 193. L'amour s'en va comme cette eau couranteL'amour s'en vaComme la vie est lenteEt comme l'Espérance est violente And love runs down like thisWater, love runs down.How slow life is,How violent hope is. "Le Pont Mirabeau" (Mirabeau Bridge), line 13; translation by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 193. Passent les jours et passent les semainesNi temps passéNi les amours reviennent Nor days nor any time detain.Time past or any loveCannot come again. "Le Pont Mirabeau" (Mirabeau Bridge), line 19; translation by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 193. Mon beau navire ô ma mémoireAvons-nous assez naviguéDans une onde mauvaise à boireAvons-nous assez divaguéDe la belle aube au triste soir O pretty ship, my memoryIsn't this far enough to sea,And the sea not fit to drink?Haven't we drifted far and lostFrom fair dawn to dreary dusk? "La Chanson du Mal-Aimé" (Song of the Poorly Loved), line 51; translation by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 95. Adieu faux amour confonduAvec la femme qui s'éloigneAvec celle que j'ai perdueL'année dernière en AllemagneEt que je ne reverrai plusVoie lactée ô sœur lumineuseDes blancs ruisseaux de ChanaanEt des corps blancs des amoureusesNageurs morts suivrons-nous d’ahanTon cours vers d'autres nébuleuses Farewell, false love, I took you forThe woman that I lost last yearForever as I think:I loved her but I will not seeHer any more in Germany.O Milky Way, sister in whitenessTo Canaan's rivers and the brightBodies of lovers drowned,Can we follow toilsomelyYour path to other nebulae? "La Chanson du Mal-Aimé" (Song of the Poorly Loved), line 56; translation by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 95. Moi qui sais des lais pour les reinesLes complaintes de mes annéesDes hymnes d'esclave aux murènesLa romance du mal-aiméEt des chansons pour les sirènes I've made a song for the poorly lovedAnd songs for everything I grieved –For unaccompanied slave and shark,For queens who've gone into the dark. "La Chanson du Mal-Aimé" (Song of the Poorly Loved), line 91; translation by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 97. Et ma vie pour tes yeux lentement s'empoisonne And for your eyes my life takes poison slowly. "Les colchiques" (The Saffrons), line 7; translation from Donald Revell (trans.) Alcools (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 1995) p. 35. Et l'unique cordeau des trompettes marines And the single string of the marine trumpets. "Chantre" (Singer), in its entirety; translations by William Meredith, from Francis Steegmuller Apollinaire: Poet Among the Painters (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1973) p. 210. Un jourUn jour je m'attendais moi-mêmeJe me disais Guillaume il est temps que tu viennesPour que je sache enfin celui-là que je suisMoi qui connais les autres One dayOne day I waited for myselfI said to myself Guillaume it's time you cameSo I could know just who I amI who know others "Cortège", line 19; translation from Roger Shattuck (trans.) Selected Writings of Guillaume Apollinaire (New York: New Directions, 1971) p. 75. Je passais au bord de la SeineUn livre ancien sous le brasLe fleuve est pareil à ma peineIl s'écoule et ne tarit pasQuand donc finira la semaine I used to walk by the riverAn old book under my armThe river is the same as painIt elapses mindlesslyAnd when will the week be over "Marie", line 21; translation from Donald Revell (trans.) Alcools (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 1995) p. 75. J'ai cueilli ce brin de bruyèreL'automne est morte souviens-t'enNous ne nous verrons plus sur terreOdeur du temps brin de bruyèreEt souviens-toi que je t'attends I picked this sprig of heatherAutumn has died you must rememberWe shall not see each other everI'm waiting and you must rememberTime's perfume is a sprig of heather "L'Adieu" (The Farewell), line 1; translation from Donald Revell (trans.) Alcools (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 1995) p. 83. Passons passons puisque tout passeJe me retournerai souventLes souvenirs sont cors de chasseDont meurt le bruit parmi le vent We hurry since everything hurriesAnd I shall never not returnMemories are all archaic hornsSilenced by the wind. "Cors de chasse" (Hunting Horns), line 9; translation from Donald Revell (trans.) Alcools (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 1995) p. 159. Calligrammes (1918) Translations and page-numbers are from Donald Revell (trans.) The Self-Dismembered Man: Selected Later Poems of Guillaume Apollinaire (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan University Press, 2004). Me voici devant tous un homme plein de sensConnaissant la vie et de la mort ce qu'un vivant peut connaîtreAyant éprouvé les douleurs et les joies de l'amourAyant su quelquefois imposer ses idéesConnaissant plusieurs langagesAyant pas mal voyagéAyant vu la guerre dans l'Artillerie et l'lnfanterieBlessé à la tête trépané sous le chloroformeAyant perdu ses meilleurs amis dans l'effroyable lutteJe sais d'ancien et de nouveau autant qu'un homme seul pourrait des deux savoir You see before you a man in his right mindWorldly-wise and with access to deathHaving tested the sorrow of love and its ecstasiesHaving sometimes even astonished the professorsGood with languagesHaving travelled a great dealHaving seen battle in the Artillery and the InfantryWounded in the head trepanned under chloroformHaving lost my best friends in the butcheryAs much of antiquity and modernity as can be known I know "La jolie rousse" (The Pretty Redhead), line 1; p. 133. Nous voulons explorer la bonté contrée énorme où tout se tait We mean to explore kindness and its enormous silences. "La jolie rousse" (The Pretty Redhead), line 26; p. 135. Voici que vient l'été la saison violenteEt ma jeunesse est morte ainsi que le printemps Ô soleil c'est le temps de la raison ardente And now comes the summer of violenceAnd my youth is as dead as the springtimeO Sun it is the time of fiery Reason "La jolie rousse" (The Pretty Redhead), line 31; p. 135. Ô bouches l'homme est a la recherche d'un nouveau langageAuquel le grammairien d'aucune langue n'aura rien à dire O mouths humanity seeks a new languageBeyond the reach of grammarians "Victoire" (Victory), line 21; p. 125. Uncertain Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. Commonly attributed, but source unknown. Misattributed Come to the edge.We might fall.Come to the edge.It's too high!COME TO THE EDGE!And they cameAnd he pushedAnd they flew. Christopher Logue's poem "Come to the Edge" from New Numbers (London: Cape, 1969) pp. 65-66. It was originally written for a poster advertising an Apollinaire exhibition at the ICA in 1961 or 1962, and was titled "Apollinaire Said"; hence it is often misattributed to Apollinaire (Source: Quote…Unquote Newsletter, July 1995, p. 2). External links Guillaume Apollinaire Apollinaire at French Wikisource Category:Poets from France Category:Art critics Category:1880 births Category:1918 deaths Category:Novelists from France Category:Playwrights from France Category:People from Rome