Still reading the book on 20th century French poetry I ran across this brief passage:
Tu es dans ton essence constamment poète, constamment au zénith de ton amour, constamment avide de vérité et de justice. C'est sans doute un mal nécessaire que tu ne puisses l'être assidûment dans ta conscience.
In translation:
In your essence you are always a poet, always at the height of your love, always hungry for truth and justice. It is no doubt a necessary evil that you cannot be one steadily in your conscience.
The author is René Char (1907 - 1988). The name is familiar because he was the author of the poetry used in Le Marteau sans maître, a chamber cantata by Pierre Boulez, composed in 1953/54. So that's two old friends. Another is Thomas Merton who translated much of the poetry of René Char.
If you don't know Thomas Merton, he wrote The Seven Storey Mountain, one of the most compelling accounts of a spiritual journey ever written.
If you are interested in René Char, can’t recommend his collection Feuillets d’Hypnos enough. Short aphoristic bits he wrote while serving the French Resistance, facing extremes of fatigue and hunger. Due to their brevity, these more accessible to many non-native speakers of French than the longer poems.
ReplyDeleteMarteau wasn’t Boulez’s only Char setting. Before that, there was Le Visage nuptial and Le soleil des eaux.
Thanks Anonymous! Yes, I found René Char to be among the most accessible poets in the collection. I will check out the book you recommend.
ReplyDeleteBryan,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to check back in at the Music Salon and to sample your impossibly wonderfully wide palette in music poetry literature - it's no secret that you are a man after my own heart (except for Steve Reich); but I've been off the track and doing some things that you might also like ... I'll fill you in via email ... and always thanks much for your many artistic samples across the boards that you present at the Salon... Cheers - Dex
Dex, it is always a delight when you post a comment!
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