Une Fois Seulement.(Translation) . Poem by Michael Walker
Une Fois Seulement.(Translation) .
Une fois seulement j'aie su le but de la vie.
A Boston, tout a coup, j'ai compris;
en me promenant la le long du Fleuve Charles,
en regardant se copier les lumieres,
toutes neones et stroboscopiques, ouvrant
les bouches aussi largement que des chanteurs d'opera;
j'ai compte les etoiles, mes petites militantes,
mes paquerettes cicatrices, et je savais que je marchais mon amant
sur le cote de vert de nuit de la scene et j'ai crie
mon coeur aux automobiles allant a l'est et j'ai crie
mon coeur aux autos qui allaient a l'ouest et j'ai pris
ma verite a travers un petit pont voute
et j'ai hate ma verite, sa charme, chez moi
et j'ai amasse ces constantes jusqu'au matin
seulement a les trouver disparues.
-' Just Once'.Anne Sexton(1928-1974) .From 'Selected Poems of Anne Sexton', p.134; edited by Diane Wood Middlebrook.
The free verse lyric is like an epiphany-a perfect night by the Charles River in Boston, when she saw the city lights come on one after the other, saw the westbound and eastbound cars, then the brilliant stars appear. She took her truth home, but in the morning, it was gone.
An unforgettable lyric poem.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
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5/8/2024 10:07:57 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Just Once, ' poem by Anne Sexton(1928-1974) is definitely a very brilliant poem well expressed about evening and stars. At least once knowing the purpose of life is definitely interesting. With little activities counting stars is nice and this mesmerizes mind. A beautiful translation is presented with its original essence....10
You have appreciated her poem with acute insight-thanks. When you think about it, the poem is all about lights coming on by the river-both artificial (city buildings and car headlights) , and natural (stars) . It is worth considering that such beauty is what life is all about, as she says.