THE SELF-DISMEMBERED MAN
WESLEYAN POETRY SERIES
Selected Later Poems of Guillaume Apollinaire
THE SELF-DISMEMBERED MAN
translated by Donald Revell
Published by Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, CT 06459
English translation and afterword © 2004 by Donald Revell
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Apollinaire, Guillaume, 1880-1918.
[Poems. English & French. Selections]
The self-dismembered man : selected later poems of Guillame Apollinaire / translated by Donald Revell.
p. cm.—(Wesleyan poetry)
English and French on opposite pages.
ISBN 0-8195–6690–X (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 0–8195–6691–8
(pbk.: alk. paper)
I. Title. II. Series.
PQ2601.P6A27 2004
841’.912—dc22 2003026214
The translator wishes to thank the University of Utah for a Faculty
Research Fellowship, which was of great help in the making of
these versions.
I also wish to thank the editors of the following journals, which
first published some of these versions:
American Poetry Review
Denver Quarterly
Electronic Poetry Review
Volt
These translations are dedicated to Martin Corless-Smith and to Catherine Wagner
CONTENTS
Le Musicien de Saint-Merry / The Musician of Saint-Merry
Océan de Terre / Ocean of Earth
Lundi Rue Christine / Monday in the rue Christine
A Travers l’Europe / Across Europe
Un Fantôme de Nuées / Cloud Phantom
La Petite Auto / The Little Car
La Nuit d’Avril 1915 / 1915 April Night
Merveille de la Guerre / Marvel of War
Un Oiseau Chante / A Bird Is Singing
Chant del’Horizon en Champagne / Song of the Horizon in Champagne
Les Soupirs du Servant de Dakar / Sighs of the Dakar Gunner
La Jolie Rousse / The Pretty Redhead
THE SELF-DISMEMBERED MAN
Les Collines
Au-dessus de Paris un jour
Combattaient deux grands avions
L’un était rouge et l’autre noir
Tandis qu’au zénith flamboyait
L’éternel avion solaire
L’un était toute ma jeunesse
Et l’autre c’était l’avenir
Ils se combattaient avec rage
Ainsi fit contre Lucifer
L’Archange aux ailes radieuses
Ainsi le calcul au problème
Ainsi la nuit contre le jour
Ainsi attaque ce que j’aime
Mon