Translation from French by A. James Arnold and Clayton Eshleman
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[j.r.’s note. Earlier this year I began with Heriberto Yépez the exploration of a possible assemblage of a newly reconsidered “poetry of theAmericas America
The reader should also check an earlier posting on Poems and Poetics -- hereand here-- which includes in another context Arnold's & Eshleman's excellent note on the nature & context of the original Notebook.]
Whatismine,thesefewthousanddeathbearerswhomillinthecalabashofanislandandminetoothearchipelagoarchedwithananguisheddesiretonegateitself,asiffrommaternalanxietytoprotectthisimpossiblydelicatetenuityseparatingoneAmericafromtheother;andtheseloinswhichsecreteforEuropetheheartyliquorofaGulfStream,and one ofthe twoslopes ofincandescence betweenwhich theEquatortightropewalkstowardAfrica.Andmynonclosureisland,itsbraveaudacity standingatthesternofthisPolynesia,beforeit,Guadeloupesplitintwodownitsdorsallineandequalinpovertytous,Haitiwherenegrituderoseforthefirsttime*andstatedthatitbelievedinitshumanityandthefunnylittletailofFloridawherethestrangulationofaniggerisbeingcompleted,andAfricagiganticallycaterpillaringuptotheHispanicfootofEurope,itsnakednesswhereDeathscytheswidely.*
35
New York and San Francisco
notaninchofthisworlddevoidofmyfingerprintand
my calcaneuson
Virginia Tennessee Georgia Alabama
Monstrousputrefactionsofrevoltsstymied,
marshesofputridblood
trumpetsabsurdlymuted
Landred,sanguineous,consanguineousland
thesnowline
itwith whitebars
thesnowisawhitejailermountingguardbeforeaprison
Whatismine
aloneman imprisonedin whiteness
alonemandefyingthewhitescreamsofwhitedeath
(toussaint, toussaintlouverture)
amanwhomesmerizesthewhitesparrowhawk of
whitedeath
amanaloneinthesterileseaofwhitesand
anoldblackmanstandinguptothewatersofthesky
Deathtracesashiningcircleabovethisman
death starssoftlyabove hishead
deathbreathesintheripenedcaneofhisarms
deathgallopsintheprisonlikeawhitehorse
deathgleamsinthedarkliketheeyesofacat
deathhiccupslikewaterundertheKeys*
deathisastruckbird
deathwanes
deathvacillates
deathisashypatyura*
deathexpiresinawhitepoolofsilence.
convulsionsofcongealeddeath
tenaciousfate
screamserectfrommuteearth
thesplendorofthisbloodwillitnotblastforth?
tothesun(Notstrongenoughtoinebriatemyverytough
head)
tothemealynightwithitsgoldenhatchingsoferratic
fireflies
tothecheveluretremblingattheverytopofthecliff,
wherethe wind leapsin bursts ofsalty cavalries
clearlyIreadinmypulsethatformeexoticismisno
provender.
Europe utterlytwistedwithscreams
silentcurrentsofdespair
leavingtimidEurope whichcollectsandproudly
overratesitself
Isummonthisbeautifulegotismthatventuresforth
andmyploughingremindsmeofanimplacablecutwater.
lagoons.Theyare
coveredwithdeath’s-heads.Theyarenotcoveredwith
waterlilies.
Inmymemoryarelagoons.Nowomen’sloin-cloths
spreadoutontheirshores.
Mymemoryisencircledwithblood.Mymemoryhasa
beltofcorpses!
ourignominiousrevolts, amorousglancesswooning
fromhavingswiggedtoomuchferociousfreedom
[j.r.’s note. Earlier this year I began with Heriberto Yépez the exploration of a possible assemblage of a newly reconsidered “poetry of the
The reader should also check an earlier posting on Poems and Poetics -- hereand here-- which includes in another context Arnold's & Eshleman's excellent note on the nature & context of the original Notebook.]
34
Whatismine,thesefewthousanddeathbearerswhomillinthecalabashofanislandandminetoothearchipelagoarchedwithananguisheddesiretonegateitself,asiffrommaternalanxietytoprotectthisimpossiblydelicatetenuityseparatingoneAmericafromtheother;andtheseloinswhichsecreteforEuropetheheartyliquorofaGulfStream,and one ofthe twoslopes ofincandescence betweenwhich theEquatortightropewalkstowardAfrica.Andmynonclosureisland,itsbraveaudacity standingatthesternofthisPolynesia,beforeit,Guadeloupesplitintwodownitsdorsallineandequalinpovertytous,Haitiwherenegrituderoseforthefirsttime*andstatedthatitbelievedinitshumanityandthefunnylittletailofFloridawherethestrangulationofaniggerisbeingcompleted,andAfricagiganticallycaterpillaringuptotheHispanicfootofEurope,itsnakednesswhereDeathscytheswidely.*
35
AndIsaytomyselfBordeaux andNantes andLiverpool
and notaninchofthisworlddevoidofmyfingerprintand
my calcaneuson
thespinesofskyscrapersandmyfilthintheglitterof
gems!
WhocanboastofbeingbetteroffthanI?Monstrousputrefactionsofrevoltsstymied,
marshesofputridblood
trumpetsabsurdlymuted
Landred,sanguineous,consanguineousland
36
thesnowline
itwith whitebars
thesnowisawhitejailermountingguardbeforeaprison
Whatismine
aloneman imprisonedin whiteness
alonemandefyingthewhitescreamsofwhitedeath
(toussaint, toussaintlouverture)
amanwhomesmerizesthewhitesparrowhawk of
whitedeath
amanaloneinthesterileseaofwhitesand
anoldblackmanstandinguptothewatersofthesky
Deathtracesashiningcircleabovethisman
death starssoftlyabove hishead
deathbreathesintheripenedcaneofhisarms
deathgallopsintheprisonlikeawhitehorse
deathgleamsinthedarkliketheeyesofacat
deathhiccupslikewaterundertheKeys*
deathisastruckbird
deathwanes
deathvacillates
deathisashypatyura*
deathexpiresinawhitepoolofsilence.
37
convulsionsofcongealeddeath
tenaciousfate
screamserectfrommuteearth
thesplendorofthisbloodwillitnotblastforth?
38
tothesun(Notstrongenoughtoinebriatemyverytough
head)
tothemealynightwithitsgoldenhatchingsoferratic
fireflies
tothecheveluretremblingattheverytopofthecliff,
wherethe wind leapsin bursts ofsalty cavalries
clearlyIreadinmypulsethatformeexoticismisno
provender.
39
silentcurrentsofdespair
leavingtimid
overratesitself
Isummonthisbeautifulegotismthatventuresforth
andmyploughingremindsmeofanimplacablecutwater.
40
lagoons.Theyare
coveredwithdeath’s-heads.Theyarenotcoveredwith
waterlilies.
Inmymemoryarelagoons.Nowomen’sloin-cloths
spreadoutontheirshores.
Mymemoryisencircledwithblood.Mymemoryhasa
beltofcorpses!
41
ourignominiousrevolts, amorousglancesswooning
fromhavingswiggedtoomuchferociousfreedom