Merci beaucoup, La Loupe! J'esp�re qu'il y a beaucoup de personnes qui parlent fran�ais ici, et qui adorent la po�sie! Je n'ai pas des poemes maintenant, mais je les cherche! (If I've made any grammatical mistakes, fellow francophones, please pardon me. I'm rather out of practice at French!)

LE PONT MIRABEAU par Guillaume Apollinaire Sous le pont Mirabeau could la Seine Et nos amours Faut-il qu'il m'en souvienne La joie venait toujours apr�s la peine Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure Les jours s'en vont je demeure Les mains dans les mains restons face-�-face Tandis que sous Le pont de nos bras passe Des �ternels regards l'onde si lasse Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure Les jours s'en vont je demeure L'amour s'en va comme cette eau courante L'amour s'en va Comme la vie est lente Et comme l'Esp�rance est violente Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure Les jours s'en vont je demeure Passent les jours et passent les semaines Ni temps pass� Ni les amours reviennent Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine Vienne la nuit sonne l'heure Les jours s'en vont je demeure (Oh Marcia, I hope you can read this! If you can't, I'll write you a translation!)

My dad could've read this. Unfortunately, I can't.

je ne parle francaise - or whatever it is...How about Hawaiian?!

LE CHAT par Guillaume Apollinaire Je souhaite dans ma maison Une femme ayant sa raison Un chat passant parmi les livres Des amis en toute saison Sans lesquels je ne peut pas vivre.

I can read and understand Hawaiian, if someone is not talking too fast. I am not a fluent speaker.

Oh, crud. Well, here's my translation (and if it retains any of its original beauty, it is from no genius on my part.) The Mirabeau Bridge Under the Mirabeau Bridge flows the Seine And our loves It is necessary that I remember The joy always comes after the pain Come night chime the hour Days pass away I stay Hand in hand we stay face to face Under us The bridge of our arms passes The eternal regards of waves so weary Come night... Love goes away like that flowing water Love goes away As life is slow And as Hope is violent Come night... Pass days and pass weeks Neither past time Nor loves come back Under the Mirabeau Bridge flows the Seine Come night... The second one says: THE CAT I wish in my house A wife of good wits A cat passing amongst the books Some friends for all seasons Without these I cannot live.

LE CHAT par Guillaume Apollinaire Je souhaite dans ma maison Une femme ayant sa raison Un chat passant parmi les livres Des amis en toute saison Sans lesquels je ne peut pas vivre.

I don't know if it retains the original beauty, but I like both poems in translation. Merci beaucoups!

Thank you Amy Dear...means so much more than just THE CAT, which even I could translate. *hugs* for that!

ok, i can't read french but i love to look at it!

Here will follow (in this post and future ones,) some of my favorite French Romantic poems. from "L'Automne" by Lamartine La fleur tombe en livrant ses parfums au zephire; � la vie, au soleil, ce sont l� ses adieux: Moi, je meurs; et mon �me, au moment qu'elle expire, S'exhale comme un son triste et m�lodieux. The flower falls in giving up its perfumes to the zephyr; To life, to the sun, these are its goodbyes: Me, I die, and my soul, at the moment that it expires Exhales like a sound sad and melodious.

With some licence, an alternative translation of the Lamartine stanza: The flower, falling, frees Its perfume to the breeze, To life, and to the sun, To show its day is done. I die, and at my death, My soul sends one last breath Echoing round and round, A sad, melodious sound.

Salut, Mark! I'm glad that someone else speaks French here, too!

Mark is a special guy - he can translate French into rhyme and playes cricket, as well. Is there no end to the talents of this man? Happy to see you posting again...I though you had put us away with the used cricket balls for next season!

I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Mark.

LA COMPLAINTE DE REUTBEUF Les maux ne savent venir isol�ment Il fallait que tout cela m'arriv�t. Et c'est arriv�. Que sont devenus mes amis, Avec qui j'�tais si intime Et que j'avais tant aim�s? Je crois qu'ils sont trop clairsem�s, Ils ne furent pas bien fum�s, Alors ils m'ont fait d�faut. Ces amis-l� m'ont mal trait�, Car jamais, tant que Dieu m'affligea En mainte mani�re, Je n'en vis un seul en ma demeure. Je crois que le vent me les a enlev�s. L'amiti� est morte: Ce sont amis que vent emporte, Et il ventait devant ma porte: Aussi le vent les emporta. REUTBEUF'S COMPLAINT Misfortunes don't know how to come alone It was necessary that everything came to me, And it came. What has become of my friends, With whom I was so intimate And whom I loved so much? I believe that they were so well sown: They were not well fertilized, So it was my shortcoming. These friends treated me badly Because when God afflicted me In many ways, I didn't see a one of them at my house. I believe that the wind uprooted them. Friendship is dead: These are the friends that the wind carried away, And they blew away in front of my door: Also the wind carried them away.

That is so sad - fair weather friends are not just an American thing, I guess...

thanks for the alternate translation of the flower piece. it had better meter than the direct translation! but thank you amy for translating after you post a french piece!

Enchant�, Amy. Your knowledge of poetry is in different realms from mine, and the postings are fascinating.

I'm sorry the translation of the Reutbeuf piece is a little clunky, but I just can't seem to make the poems as beautiful as the originals. (Maybe because I'm not a poet!) What kind of poetry do you study, Mark?

Less clunky (but only a little): When troubles come, they're not alone, My troubles came not on their own. And all my friends, whose love I knew, How close we were, but where were you? I thought our roots ran deep together, It seems they could not stand foul weather. My fault, I guess, I take the blame, But when God turned on me, who came? Not one, the wind blew all away, This friendship's dead; these friends don't stay; Before my door, they blew away. Amy, I wish I could claim I studied poetry. I have read and forgotten a fair amount; the stuff that sticks is verse (sometimes poetic, sometimes not). I often lack the patience to dig out the metaphor, so it is lovely to have someone select items worth reading.

Your translation is SO much better than mine! I'm terribly out of practice in French anyway--I haven't had a class in over a year, and I don't have very many opportunities to use it. I know I should practice more, because I don't want nine years or so of French to go to waste.

well, this is a perfect opportunity too! i think there's also a french conference area around here but am not sure!

Here's a French love song from the 16th century and, fortunately for everyone here, I didn't write the translation! This is also Renaissance French, so it looks a little different than modern French. Je Suis Desherit�e Je suis desherit�e Puis que j'ay perdu mon amy, Seulette il m'a lais�e Pleine de dueil & de soucy. Rossignol du boys joly, Sans plus faire demeur�e Va t'en dire � mon amy Que pour luy suis tourment�e. I Am Desolate I am desolate Since I lost my lover, All alone he left me Full of sorrow and trouble. Nightingale of the beautiful wood Without further ado, stay no longer, Go tell my lover That because of him I am tormented.

Parlez whatever here, sil vous please: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/cultures/13

So are we allowed to talk french in cultures? I thought this was only for screwed, no?

I'm sure you'll all be happy to hear that I'm going to take a seminar in Francophone lit next semester, so I should get enough practice to do better translations!