by Vatsala Radhakeesoon
French is often referred to as la belle langue Fran├зaise – the
beautiful French language.
It is spoken, read and studied in the land where it originated, that is, France
as well as various other countries of the continents of Europe, America and
Africa. French is also appreciated in many non-French speaking countries. This
is due to the fact that the very act of listening to it gives a feeling that it
is poetic and it is a language in which intense emotions and deep thoughts can
be expressed with unique perfect precision.
I have the immense pleasure of bringing forth some works of two contemporary
French Canadian poets, Huguette Bertrand and Odette Beaudry respectively. The original poems in French appear first, followed by my English translation of each poem.
HUGUETTE BERTRAND
D'UNE SAISON ├А L'AUTRE
La beaut├й de
l'arbre
m'engendre
├а chaque instant
me raconte ses
silences
ses effeuillements
d'une saison ├а
l'autre
m'aspire vers le
haut
jusqu'├а son fa├оte
tel
un projet d'oiseau
FROM ONE SEASON TO ANOTHER
I’m revived by
the beauty of the tree
every moment
it shares with me its quietness
its leafless life
from one season to another
drags me to reach
its top
like a bird’s dream
NUIT ├ЙCLAT├ЙE
Avez-vous remarqu├й
que la nuit porte
en elle
toute la lumi├иre
du jour
ses accents graves
les plus fragiles
ses accents aigus
les plus os├йs
Nuit extravagante
├йclat├йe de rire
en attente du jour
et la vie
au-dedans
ses murmures
ses passions
et tous les
accents appropri├йs
au fur et ├а mesure
des ├йv├йnements
SPARKLING NIGHT
Have you noticed that
the night carries within her
all the daylight
its most fragile
low sounds
its most daring
high ones
Fanciful night
bursting into laughter
while awaiting the day
and the life within
its whispers
its passions
and all the suitable sounds
gradually unfolding
as time goes on
DE TEMPS EN TEMPS
Le temps se porte bien
d├йfile ├а travers les saisons
se repose chez l’enfant
hurle chez les grands
il passe
il passe d’un regard ├а l’autre
se m├йfie des heures rouges
de nos nuits trop
noires
il file
il file entre
rires et pleurs
se fait complice
du vent
il secoue les
├йv├йnements
d├йfie la lourdeur
des ├вges
il attend
il attend
au coin de l’oeil
sans
broncher
FROM
TIME TO TIME
The
time fares well
It
passes through seasons
rests
in children’s hearts
shouts
in adults’ minds
It
passes by
It
moves from glance to glance
becomes
suspicious when seeing red hours
in
our darkest nights
It
flies
It
flies amidst laughter and tears
partner
with the wind
It
shakes events
defies
the tension of ages
It
waits
It
waits
in a
corner of the eye
without stumbling
RENCONTRE
Se saluer ├а travers les branches
devant la col├иre du vent
quand les jours se tordent
dans les reliefs du ciel
Se saluer ├а travers la
voix
├а travers l'oeil
pour faire durer
le temps
pour d├йrober
l'espace entre nos gestes
et inscrire un
pacte
au registre de nos
m├йmoires
Se reconna├оtre ├а
travers une parole intense
comme des fous
ent├кt├йs
et sous la caresse
des mots
diluer un peu de
soi dans la lumi├иre diffuse
THE
ENCOUNTER
Greetings
through the branches
facing
the wrath of the wind
when
days are twisted
in
the slopes of the sky
Greetings
through our voices
through
our eyes
making
time linger
to
conceal space between our acts
inscribing
a pact
registered
in our memories
Let
us meet again though an intense word
like
stubborn insane people
and
with hugging words
disolving
ourselves in a diffused light
ODETTE BEAUDRY
Espoir
Que la lumi├иre de ton
visage
Vienne ├йclairer la nuit de mon
├вme
Que le feu de tes yeux
Enflamme la pierre de mon
regard
Humer toute l'odeur de ton c┼Уur
Aux fronti├иres de l'abandon
Passer sur l'autre rive
Que survive l'amour de la mort
Apprivoisant les silences
Jusqu'├а l'aube de nos corps
Mon amour, mon ├оle
Tant de solitude psalmodi├йe
Dans le sang chaud des
groseilles
Chant de fruits m├╗rs
Remarquables noces des soleils
Tu verras sur ton chemin tant de
fleurs
Tant d'espace et tant de
verdure
Tant de soleil et tant de mer
Ce sont l├а les plages de ton
destin
Tes l├иvres ├а l'ombre des
mis├иres
Engrosseront d'amour tes
paroles
Rempliront le secret de mes
d├йsirs
J'attendrai jusque dans le soir
nuptial
Et jusqu'aux heures tardives du
r├йveil
Sur les berges des attentes
oc├йanes
Aux odeurs d'herbes folles et
de miel d'or
L├а o├╣ l'oiseau chante pour nous
le bonheur
Et l'espoir...
Hope
May the glow of your face
enlighten the darkness of my soul
May the fire of your eyes
ignite the precious stone of my eyes
Letting all the fragrance of your heart
on the surrendering borders
Swimming to the further river-bank of life
May the love of impermanent death survive
Taming the quietness
until the dawn of our bodies
O my love, my sweet island
chanting many songs of solitude
In
the warm blood of red currents
Songs of mature fruits
Emphasize on the union of the suns
On your path will smile many flowers
Much space and greenery
Much sunlight and many seas
These are the beaches of your fate
Your lips, freed from pain
will solely utter sweet loving words
Embellishing my secret fantasies
I’ll wait until evening wedding
And remaining awake till the early morning
On
the banks of oceanic expectations
To
the smell of crazy herbs and golden honey
Where the bird sing for us a song of joy
I’ll wait
And hope…
Je Cherche
Je cherche des morceaux d’├вme
Sur un bateau de neige
Pris dans la glace
Sur les rives du fleuve
Je cherche des morceaux de ciel
├Йtouff├й derri├иre l’avalanche de nuages
Dans la saison lumineuse
Aux ├йcritures anciennes
Je cherche des morceaux d’enfance
Camoufl├йs dans les courtines du Temps
Dans la blancheur des bancs de neige
O├╣ glissent les tra├оnes sauvages
Je cherche des morceaux de fleuve
Perdu sous des monceaux de glaces
Dans l’attente de l’hirondelle
M├кme si elle ne fait pas le printemps
Je cherche des morceaux de toi
├Йgar├й dans mes temp├кtes, mes poudreries
├А la d├йrive de mon regard
Telles, des anges, les amours de nuit
Je cherche des morceaux de moi
Sur les ailes des Oiseaux de froidure
Qui volent au-dessus
Du vitrail blanc des hivers
Je cherche des morceaux de nous
Oubli├йs dans les Archives des Ans
Par del├а les sables et les glaciers fondants
Avec la peur au ventre, de les retrouver...
Et je cherche...
I Seek
I
seek fragments of the soul
On a snow boat
Stuck in ice
On the banks of the river
I seek fragments of the sky
Engulfed in an avalanche of clouds
In the bright season
Of ancient scriptures
I seek fragments of childhood
Concealed by the curtains of time
In the whiteness of snow-benches
Where slip the toboggans
I seek fragments of the river
Lost in the mounds of ice
While waiting for the swallow
Even if she doesn’t make a summer
I seek fragments of you
Lost in my storms, my blowing snow
And in the angels, in the passionate nights
Drifting from my glance
I seek fragments of myself
On the wings of cold birds
That fly above
The white stained glass of winters
I seek fragments of us
Locked in the Archives for years
Within the sand and melting glaciers
With the inner fear to find them again
And I seek…
Mes Amours
Mes amours dureront
jusqu’au n┼Уud de ma m├йmoire
L’enfant en moi est la garantie
de la permanence
My Loves
My loves will last
in my long term memory node
The child in me is the proof
of permanence
Biography: Huguette Bertrand
Huguette Bertrand is a French-Canadian poet and editor born in
Sherbrooke (Qu├йbec), Canada.
She has published 33 poetry books. Her poems have also been published in many
poetry journals and anthologies, in Canada, France, U.S.A, Romania and on many
websites for the last 20 years.
She has participated in poetry shows, book shows, exhibition of her poetry on
photos and conducted workshops in Quebec and France. She is the representative
of the international movement Immagine & Poesia in Canada and editor of
anthologies for this group.
Official website: http://www.espacepoetique.com/poete/poete.html
Wikipedia : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguette_Bertrand
Biography:
Odette Beaudry (pseudonym: Ode)
Odette
Beaudry (pseudonym: Ode) is a French Canadian (Qu├йb├йcoise) sculptor, painter,
graphic designer, poet, novelist and professor of Visual Arts and French.
Ode graduated with a Master’s degree in Visual Arts and Education from
Universit├й du Qu├йbec ├а Montreal (UQAM).
She
has been publishing her poetry on her website since 1999.
She has won various prestigious literary awards such as « Prix de la
Francophonie 2010 ». She was also the winner of the poetry award Alain-
Lefeuvre 2010 for the collection of her poems Le Fleuve donne Naissance aux
Enfants des Etoiles.
She was also invited at Soci├йt├й des Po├иtes Fran├зais (SPF) in Paris in 2011and
was the chief guest of the city of Nice where the famous poet Alain Lefeuvre
lived.She also participated in a conference on Quebec’s literature at the
Centre Universitaire M├йditerran├йen (CUM) in Nice.
Her
Poetry book Voyage en Cosmogonie was translated into Italian by the poet,
Mario Selvaggio and was published as a bilingual book (French-Italian) in 2016.
Ode co-authored the poetry book entitled Complicit├й, Chroniques Amoureuses
with the poet Robert Ronnefoy and it was
published in February 2017.
