Let Us Hear The Smile Poem by gershon hepner

Rameau lets us hear the smile
of Voltaire, let me emulate
his talent, trying to beguile
my music mistress and my mate.

I wish that she could hear my smile
as she can see the written word
I conjure, trying to beguile
all readers who have never heard
the smiling sounds jump from my pages
like a princess who awakes,
having been asleep for ages––
for smiles are all that waking takes.

In a review of the recorded music of Jean-Philippe Rameau (“Paying Court to a Wry Master of the French Baroque, ” the NYT, April 7,2000) , Paul Griffiths writes: “Rameau lets us hear Voltaire’s smile.”

I revised this poem in 1/26/10, while listening to a suite from Rameau’s “Pygmalion” on KUSC, introduced by Alan Chapman. The Vorlage of this poem, written in 4/7/00, is:

I wish that you could hear my smile
as you can see the written word
I conjure, trying to beguile
the readers who have never heard
sounds of smiling jump from pages
like a princess who awakes,
having been asleep for ages––
smiles are all it really takes.

4/7/00