poetry

Baudelaire – Exotic perfume

irlandesuk art, poésie, poetry , ,

Jeanne Duval was the Haitian-born mistress of Charles Baudelaire. She is captured in the portrait (1862) below by Édouard Manet

Jeanne_Duval

Exotic Perfume

When, on a warm autumn eve, my eyes closed
I breathe in the fragrance of your warm breast
I see happy shores unfurl before me 
lit up by the fires of a monotone sun;

A languorous island where nature produces
Strange trees and luscious fruits;
Men with slender vigorous bodies,
And women who stun with the candour of their eyes.

Led by your fragrance to these charming climates,
I see a port teeming with sails and masts
All wearied still by the sea swell,

While the perfume of green tamarinds,
That drifts in the air and fills my nostrils,
Melds in my soul with the sailors’ songs.

Charles Baudelaire
(translation by John Lyons)

Parfum exotique

Quand, les deux yeux fermés, en un soir chaud d’automne,
Je respire l’odeur de ton sein chaleureux,
Je vois se dérouler des rivages heureux
Qu’éblouissent les feux d’un soleil monotone;

Une île paresseuse où la nature donne
Des arbres singuliers et des fruits savoureux;
Des hommes dont le corps est mince et vigoureux,
Et des femmes dont l’oeil par sa franchise étonne.

Guidé par ton odeur vers de charmants climats,
Je vois un port rempli de voiles et de mâts
Encor tout fatigués par la vague marine,

Pendant que le parfum des verts tamariniers,
Qui circule dans l’air et m’enfle la narine,
Se mêle dans mon âme au chant des mariniers.

— Charles Baudelaire

Fickle moon

irlandesuk poésie, poetry

As the sun sets
so the day sags
evenings can be
so long

stars so distant
and the moon
so fickle

At dawn the silence
is broken – foxes
gnashing their teeth

sparrows restless
in their nests – magpies
already getting down
to business

I have places to go
things to do and
words to say such as
I love you

John Lyons

Alors que le soleil se couche
alors le jour s’affaisse
les soirées peuvent être
si longues

les étoiles si lointaines
et la lune
si inconstante

A l’aube le silence
est cassé – les renards
grincent des dents

les moineaux agités
dans leurs nids – les pies
déjà au travail

j’ai des endroits où aller
des choses à faire et
des mots à dire comme
Je t’aime

Global warming

irlandesuk poetry

Timesickness
loss of gravity
we are all adrift
in space

Forget the puns
it truly is a human race
against the clock
and against the loss

of direction and of
a solidarity with the earth
the land and sea and all
the flora and fauna and

whatever warms the heart
yet does not overheat
the globe but ushers in
a lasting climate of love

John Lyons

The passing of age

irlandesuk poetry

To be older is not
to be aged or antique
or ancient or passé
or frail or forsaken
or to be dyed
in the wool
or to be mutton
dressed as lamb

To be older is neither
to be forgotten
nor remembered
nor to have lines drawn
across the forehead
or circles under the eyes
or to be a big noise
or to suffer in silence
or to be seated
in the corner
with curtains closed
nor to eat bread
without crust
nor to be butter
without jam

To be older is neither
to deny nor to affirm
nor to chatter without teeth
nor to put duty before love
nor to sleep with all the angels
nor to rearrange the stars
nor to believe in the past

to be older is not a vocation
nor a vacation nor an excuse
for a reason
nor a missed opportunity
nor an opportunity
not to be missed
to be older is to be younger
as time goes by 

John Lyons

Corrected version

Thicker than blood

irlandesuk poetry

Love thicker than blood
deeper than any sea
freer than any air
an incandescent fire

sky cannot shelter it
nor the moon illuminate
its furthest actions or
its deeper recesses

love longer than time
more encompassing
than any space
more succinct

than any word
No battle can ever
defeat it no betrayal
ever taint it

Love thicker than blood
more compelling
than any kiss
love is what it is

John Lyons

A poetry of familiar things

irlandesuk art, poésie, poetry ,

cascade
          Cascade, John Lyons (oil on canvas)

A poetry of familiar things
a sparrow or a rose
or flowering mimosa
a simple summer cotton dress
decorated with flowers
which she wears with pride

The families that traipse
up and down
the Promenade des Anglais
in Nice : the blue sea
and the blue sky
the heat of the day
in August

Chagall and Matisse
and Italian sorbets
and the insatiable thirst
for love and life

John Lyons

Une poésie des choses familières
un moineau ou une rose
ou mimosa en fleurs
une simple robe d’été en coton
décorée de fleurs
qu’elle porte avec fierté

Les familles qui traînent
haut et bas
la Promenade des Anglais
à Nice : la mer bleue
et le ciel bleu
la chaleur du jour
en août

Chagall et Matisse
et des sorbets italiens
et la soif insatiable
d’amour et de vie

The body of love

irlandesuk poetry

After a harsh frost
warm sunshine
casts the world
in a fresh light

the southern wind
moves effortlessly
through the trees
that stand expectantly

clusters of birds
disperse and wheel
in all directions
in the pale grey sky

before returning
to settle once again
on the same treetop
to sing to the same tune

And so I say to her
that we are bound
by all our words
by all our actions

bound as one
in the body of love
that separates and then
again comes together

John Lyons

Fabulous stars

irlandesuk poetry

Shapes and patterns
the fabulous arrangement
of stars in the winter sky
and all that we read
into them
how we befriend them
and look to them
for answers

How did I get to this place
and what will become of me
will I find love and if so
will it remain true
forever and a day ?

Fine filigree of frost
on the window panes
this morning
ferns furred with ice

the excited chatter
of children on their way
to school their warm breath
emerging in the air

Then silence

I am awake in the world
to capture this silence
to carry it with me
to keep it close to my heart
a wordless wisdom
I know that it will serve me well
in good times and in bad

John Lyons