Non Pas Faisant Signe Mais Noyant. (Translation) . Poem by Michael Walker
Non Pas Faisant Signe Mais Noyant. (Translation) .
Personne ne l'entendit, l'homme mort,
Mais il s'etendait encore gemissant:
J'etais beaucoup plus distant du rivage que vous ne pensiez
Et non faisant signe mais noyant.
Le pauvre gaillard, il aimait toujours faire des farces
Et maintenant il est mort
Il a du etre trop froid pour lui son coeur cessa de battre,
Ont-ils dit.
Oh, non non non, c'etait toujours trop froid
(Le mort se couchait encore en gemissant)
J'etais beaucoup trop distant toute ma vie
Et non faisant signe mais noyant.
-'Not Waving But Drowning'.Stevie Smith(1902-1971) .
The poem is about a man who was far out at sea, 'not waving but drowning'. The people on the shore misinterpreted the man's waving: he was waving desperately for help. They said that his heart must have given out in the too-cold water.
The dead man lay moaning, realizing that he was too far out all his life. Another interpretation is that Stevie Smith was herself
'much too far out all her life'(avant-garde, nonconformist)and did not 'fit in' with society. The two possible readings of the last two lines can co-exist.
You could infer that people are not sensitive enough to the plight of others: society is too cold.
A poem that made a big impression on me as a teacher, and it still does.
Either way (out of two interpretations) , this is an outstanding poem- reflecting frailties of human nature. Thanks for sharing it. Special thanks for the detailed Notes, Michael.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/10/2024 3:28:06 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Yes, either way you interpret it, it is a magnificent poem to me-not too long-and I'm pleased that you like it too. Thanks.