Neither seen nor known
I am the scent
By the wind blown
Living and spent.
Neither seen nor known
Chance or spirit
Is hardly sown
And the task complete.
Neither seen nor grasped
To the best minds
What errors are promised.
Neither seen nor known
Time of a bare bosom
Between two smocks.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
research, research! .............. i guess brian johnston would call this an echo poem. or is it JUST a translation? i've run out of time to do more deciding. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - who is this guy? Classic and Contemporary Poetry THE SYLPH, by PAUL VALERY Poet's Biography**** First Line: Seen not nor known Last Line: Between two gowns! Subject(s) : Genius; Life; Smells; Odors; Aromas; Fragrances Seen not nor known I am the scent shed Living and dead In the wind blown Seen not nor known Genius or chance? Hardly seed sown When the flowers dance! Nor read nor possessed! What errors shown For swift renowns— Seen not nor known, The glimpse of a breast Between two gowns! ========================= **** Paul Valéry From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Paul Valéry. French literature by category French literary history Medieval Renaissance 17th 18th 19th 20th century Contemporary French writers Chronological list Writers by category Essayists Novelists Playwrights Poets Short story writers Children's writers Portals France French language Literature French/Francophone literature v t e Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry (/vɑːleɪˈri/; [1] French: [pɔl valeʁi]; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues) , his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, music, and current events. Valéry was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 12 different years.[2] ====================================== i THOUGHT the poem was going to be about an venereal disease! imagine my disappointment! ! ! : (: ( and i like Paul's (use of) breast, though Tom's (use of) bosom ain't bad. bri :)
Hi Bri I don't know where dancing flowers come into it, certainly not in the original French. Sounds a bit too fanciful for Valery, though this is a lighter piece than most of his work which is highly complex and philosophical. He is quite difficult to translate into English as he uses a strict rhyming system. I've attempted the first eight lines of Le Cimitiere marin The graveyard by the sea often regarded as his greatest poem. I cheated a bit on the rhyming though! I did the same with To a Plane Tree. Both extracts are on PH.