Inscription for the Tomb of the Painter
Henri Rousseau Customs Inspector
Dear Rousseau you hear us
Hello
From Delaunay his wife Mister Queval and me
Let our luggage go duty-free through heaven's gate
We'll bring you brushes colors and canvas
So your holy leisure in the real light
You can devote it to painting
The way you did my portrait
The face of the stars
There
There are some terrific little bridges
There is my heart that beats for you
There is a sad woman on the road
There is a nice little cottage in a garden
There are six soldiers having an insanely good time
There are my eyes that search for your image
There is a charming stand of trees on the hill
And an old National Guardsman pissing as we go by
There is a poet who dreams of lil Lou
There is an exquisite lil Lou in that big Paris
There is some artillery in a forest
There is a shepherd grazing his sheep
There is my life that belongs to you
There is my fountain pen that flows and flows
There is a curtain of delicate delicate poplars
There is my past which is really past
There are narrow streets in Menton where we loved each other
There is a little girl from Sospel who whips her friends
There is my horsewhip in my oat bag
There are Belgian rail cars on the move
There is my love
There is all of life
I adore you
___________________________
Guillaume Apollinaire
translated by Ron Padgett
New York Review of Books
Z O N E, Selected Poems
2015
Listen to the soldier read:
https://media.sas.upenn.edu/pennsound/authors/Apollinaire/Apollinaire-Guillaume_01_Le-Pont-Mirabeau_1913.mp3
