Weekend pacifist poetry time
The Swans translation of Boris Vian's "Le Déserteur" is pretty good, but I fancied one that was a bit looser so here it is. Like all my ventures into poetry it reads like pastiche Roger McGough, but there's nothing particularly wrong with pastiche McGough. Anyway there you go:
Monsieur President
here's a note
perhaps you'll read it
or maybe you won't
I found in my post
last Wednesday morning
my call-up papers
and my final warning
I hate to annoy you
this must hurt
but my firm intention
is to desert
My children are screaming
my mother is crazy
she laughs at the bombs
and the roots of the daisies
you put me in prison
and ruined my marriage
so tomorrow morning
I'm taking my baggage
Leaving behind
all the damage you've done
and wandering around
between Brest and Toulon
I'll tell your people
they have a choice
shout from the rooftops
at the top of my voice
"Deny your President
refuse to be led
refuse your presence
refuse to be dead"
If you're a leader
lead by example
If it's blood we're needing
Give us a sample
Monsieur President
tell your gendarmes
they can shoot me at will
I will not be armed
Here's one you've heard before
ReplyDeleteI have a sorta-lounge-swing version of it sung by Serge Reggiani somewhere. Did you know that Vian originally wanted the last verse to end "..que je tiens un arme, et je pourrai tirer" but was persuaded to make it pacifist rather than anarchist?
ReplyDeleteThat's a superb poem, in the original. But I don't think you can lose the ABBA rhyme-scheme without holing it below the waterline. Towards the end, "refusez d'obeir...refusez de partir" is a wonderful rhyme, and "sang/President" is even better. AxxA might have worked, but not AxAx. I wouldn't have brought his mother back to life myself, either.
ReplyDeleteAlex - having just read the poem for the first time, I can confirm that the anarchist version would have been even better. Shame.
I didn't know this song, so thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe penultimate verse of your rendering is quite perfect. And "the roots of the daisies" is rather lovely: why not? The French line there seems to be untranslatably punning on worms / poetry (eg this song).
I have a sorta-lounge-swing version of it sung by Serge Reggiani somewhere
ReplyDeleteyes, that's the Youtube one I linked to I think?
The anarchist version is an urban myth according to Swans - viz
I more or less agree with Phil except I couldn't do it that way; as I say, I can only do cod McGough. But I didn't resurrect his mother; she's pushing up daisies! To be honest there is only one reader whose opinion I am really concerned about and she knows who she is.
by the way, if anyone knows of a really good English-language Vian page then I'll be able to add him to my short "heroes list" newly added to the sidebar.
ReplyDeleteOh and since this is now "Poetry Corner", I might as well add that I forgot to work into one of the BNP posts that the fundamental nature of the BNP vote is "their common problem is that they're not someone else"
ReplyDelete