The Future – أنا تشارلي

In these troubled times, I was struck by this WWI poem sent out for the New Year by my bookshop and literature friend Franz Metzler:

L’Avenir

Soulevons la paille
regardons la neige
écrivons des lettres
attendons des ordres

Fumons la pipe
en songeant à l‘amour
les gabions sont là
regardons la rose

La fontaine n’a pas tari
pas plus que l’or de la paille ne s’est terni
regardons l’abeille
et ne songeons pas à l’avenir

Regardons nos mains
qui sont la neige
la rose et l’abeille
ainsi que l’avenir

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880 – 1918)

The Future

We lift the straw
look at the snow
write letters
await orders

We smoke our pipes
dreaming of love
gabions are up
admiring the roses

The fountain has not run dry
nor waned the gold of the straw
We look at the bee
don't think about future

We look at our hands
that are the snow
the rose and the bee
as well as the future

Translation by Jeremy Tammik

أنا تشارلي

Break one, thousand will rise

Lucille Clerc