☀ Today's Poem: Selected Poems of Malcolm de Chazal

December 27, 2024

Malcolm de Chazal
Translated from the French by Sara Nicholson

Quand Passe La vent Les herbes S'allongment Pour Faire L'amour.	When The wind Blows The grass Lies down To Make Love.
L'eau Mordue Par La vague Poussa Un cri.	Water Bitten By A wave Cried Out.
Sur Le balcon Du goût L'odorat Prenait L'air.	On The balcony Of taste Smell Seized The air.
Tous Les animaux Mangent À La carte.	All Animals Eat À La carte.
Le rose Marié Au jaune Prit Du ventre.	Married To yellow Pink’s Belly Swelled.
Nul N’a Vu La vulve De l’eau Sauf le vent.	No one Saw The water’s Vulva Except The wind.
Les Échos Se Téléphonaient.	The echoes Rang Each other Up.
La Lumière Blessée Par L’éclat Se Faisait Des Points De suture.	Light Cut By A Sparkle Stitched Itself Up.
La Marguerite Blanche Allaitait La Lumière Lunaire.	The White Daisy Breastfed The Lunar Light.
La Bouche De Près Devient L’œil À Distance.	The Mouth Up Close Becomes An eye From A distance.
La Toile D’araignée Pleine De mouches Se mouchait.	Full Of flies The Spider's Web Blew its nose.
Quand Le feu Se balance L’ombre Fleurit.	When Fire Sways Shadow Flowers.
Les mots Depuis Les temps Immémoriaux Cherchent Leur Signification.	Words Since Time Immemorial Have sought Their Meaning.
L’oiseau Chante Vers Le soir. Au matin Il Fait Ses gammes.	Birds Sing Toward Evening. In the morning They Practice.
Taillez Une Pierre Et Elle Devient Égoïste.	Cut A Stone And It Becomes A narcissist.
Sans Le Blanc De l’œil Comme Presse-papier Le regard S’envolerait.	Without The White Of the eye Like A paperweight Vision Would fly away.
La gelée Polkait.	Jelly Did the polka.
La rivière Change De Déshabillé Avec Chaque Tournant.	The river Continually Undresses With Each Turn.
Chaque Oiseau A la couleur De son cri.	Each Bird Has the color Of its song.
L’œuf Est Tout En menton.	The egg Is All Chin.
Les ossuaires Sont Des tombolas.	Ossuaries Are Lotteries.
Le bleu Pâlit De bonheur C’était Le printemps.	Blue Paled With happiness Now that It was spring.
Le Fer forgé Balbutiait Des Sentiments Tendres.	Wrought Iron Mumbled A few Tender Sentiments.
La pluie Barbouillée De vent Alla Se laver Les yeux Dans l’étang.	The wind- Spattered Rain Washed Its eyes In the pond.
L’ombre Est Le poids Du temps.	Shadow Is The weight Of time.

from the journal COMMON PLACE

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Malcolm de Chazal (1902 - 1981) was a Mauritian writer and painter. This is a selection from the "Poems of Malcolm de Chazal" (trans. Sara Nicholson) published in 2024 by Free Poetry. A second volume, the "Selected Prose of Malcolm de Chazal," is forthcoming from Free Poetry in 2025. Free Poetry, funded by Boise State University's Creative Writing Program, publishes books of poetics and poetry in translation.

Sara Nicholson on "Selected Poems of Malcolm de Chazal "

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