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Three poems by Georges Rose, translated by Bryan F. Flavin

Brian F. Flavin and Georges Rose

banks september / credit: em
banks / credit: em

Mer cousue
ligne de fer
nappe ornée d’oiseaux

ciels crevés de soies
où s’affalent des lumières imprévisibles

par endroit le revêtement de chair
avec ses maisons plus lourdes
brassards d’oublis

mais la ligne des fenêtres
sources blanches
rejoint l’eau profonde

                    *

Sewn coast
line of iron
cloth ornate with birds

skies slashed with silk
where unpredictable sunlight sprawls

in places the covering of flesh
with its heavier homes
armbands of oversight

but the line of windows
white springs
rejoins the deep water

 

L’étoffe bleue de la mer
glisse encore sur le ciel

Mais l’étoffe plus vaste de la nuit
est trop lourde à notre seuil

Qui pourrait la soulever
pour voir passer
les morts peut-être

                    *

The blue cloth of the sea
gliding again across the sky

But the vaster cloth of night
is too heavy for our threshold

Who could raise it
and perhaps see
the dead drifting by

 

Les couleurs de l’orage
l’avancée blanche sur le fleuve

La fuite insensée des feuilles
que les arbres ne lâchent pas

L’immensité fait son bruit
qui couvre celui de la ville

L’eau passe dans notre vie
sans plus nous dévisager

                    *

The colors of the storm
advancing white along the river

The mindless flight of leaves
that the trees refuse to let go

Vastness makes its noise
that drowns out the city’s

Water runs through our lives
without ever facing us

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Brian F. Flavin

Bryan F. Flavin is poet and translator from Springfield, Missouri and a graduate from the University of Iowa. His work has appeared in Tupelo Quarterly, Waxwing, Silver Needle Press, and others. He currently lives and works in Shanghai, China.

Georges Rose

Born in Paris, where he resides today, writing has always occupied a special place for Georges Rose—from poetry to stories, books, essays, and theater. To date, he has around thirty published works, of which many have been awarded. Alongside his writing, Rose holds a Ph.D in Ethnology and practices various studies and hobbies, such as ecology, mountaineering, and Tai Chi—all of which influence his poetry.

Author: Brian F. Flavin and Georges Rose Tags: poetry, translations Category: Poetry December 5, 2019

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Empty Mirror

Established in 2000 and edited by Denise Enck, Empty Mirror is an online literary magazine that publishes new work each Friday.

Each week EM features several poems each by one or two poets; reviews; critical essays; visual art; and personal essays.

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