Blaise Cendrars – Laughter

I laugh
I laugh
You laugh
We laugh
Nothing else matters
Except this laughter that we love
You have to know how to be silly and happy

Blaise Cendrars

Translation by John Lyons


Rire

Je ris
Je ris
Tu ris
Nous rions
Plus rien ne compte
Sauf ce rire que nous aimons
Il faut savoir être bête et content


BlaiseCendrarsThe French poet, Blaise Cendrars (1887-1961), lost his right arm during the Battle of the Somme in 1915. An important member of the Montparnasse community of writers and artists, Cendrars was an inspirational influence on many American writers, including John Dos Passos and Henry Miller.

A lazy lyric

A lazy lyric

Upon her dress
she has a body

see here
how the sunlight

adores her
how the wind

adapts to her form
how it lifts her hair

in shallow waves
see how the gleam

in her eyes
is reflected

in the waters
of the fountain

she moves freely
through the world

and nothing
can contain her

she is the spirit
of timeless beauty

John Lyons