La Poesie

Yesterday and today I have been attending an Advanced Placement Institute, put on by the College Board. Basically, it is teaching teachers how to teach an Advanced Placement class, so that their students are prepared for the exam come May. Today we did a section on poetry, which I haven't really gotten into before. As an hommage to my new found respect for it, I have reprinted an exerpt of my favorite poem, Liberté. It is a poem written as salute to liberty during WWII. It moves (how poetic!) from images of childhood, to violence. Liberté Paul Eluard Sur mes cahiers d'écolier Sur mon pupitre et les arbres Sur le sable sur la neige J'écris ton nom On my school notebooks On my desk and the trees On the sand on the snow I write your name Sur toutes les pages lues Sur toutes les pages blanches Pierre sang papier ou cendre J'écris ton nom On all the pages read On all the blank pages Rock blood paper or ash I write your name Sur les images dorées Sur les armes des guerriers Sur la couronne des rois J'écris ton nom On the gilded images On the weapons of warriors On the crown of kings I write your name Sur la jungle et le désert Sur les nids sur les genêts Sur l'écho de mon enfance J'écris ton nom... On the jungle and the desert On the nests on the genista (a plant) On the echo of my childhood I write your name...