Favorite Poem
August 24th, 2005 by eleanorgriffithPromenade de Picasso
de Jacques Prévert
Sur une assiette bien ronde en porcelaine réelle, une pomme pose.
Face à face avec elle, un peintre de la réalité essaie vainement de peindre la pomme telle qu’elle est.
Mais elle ne se laisse pas faire la pomme. Elle a son mot à dire et plusieurs tours dans son sac de pomme, la pomme. Et la voilà qui tourne dans son assiette réelle, sournoisement sur elle-même, doucement sans bouger et comme un duc de Guise qui se déguise en bec de gaz, parce qu’on veut malgré-lui lui tirer le portrait, la pomme se déguise en beau fruit déguisé.
Et c’est alors que le peintre de la réalité commence à réaliser que toutes les apparences de la pomme sont contre lui.
Et, comme le malheureux indigent, comme le pauvre nécessiteux qui se trouve soudain à la merci de n’importe quelle association bienfaisante et charitable et redoutable de bienfaisance de charité et de redoutabilité, le malheureux peintre de la réalité se trouve alors être la triste proie, d’une innombrable foule d’associations d’idées.
Et la pomme en tournant évoque le pommier, le Paradis terrestre et Eve et puis Adam, l’arrosoir l’espalier Parmentier l’escalier, le Canada les Hespérides la Normandie la Reinette et l’Api, le serpent du Jeu de Paume le serment du Jus de Pomme et le péché originel et les origines de l’art et la Suisse avec Guillaume Tell, et même Isaac Newton plusieurs fois primé à l’Exposition de la Gravitation Universelle.
Et le peintre étourdi perd de vue son modèle et s’endort.
C’est alors que Picasso qui passait par-là comme il passe partout, chaque jour comme chez lui voit la pomme et l’assiette et le peintre endormi.
Quelle idée de peindre une pomme dit Picasso !
ET PICASSO MANGE LA POMME ET LA POMME LUI DIT MERCI, ET PICASSO CASSE L’ASSIETTE ET S’EN VA EN SOURIANT ET LE PEINTRE ARRACHE A SES SONGES, COMME UNE DENT, SE RETROUVE TOUT SEUL DEVANT SA TOILE INACHEVEE, AVEC AU BEAU MILIEU DE SA VAISSELLE BRISEE, LES TERRIFIANTS PEPINS DE LA REALITE
PICASSO’S STROLL
On a round plate of real porcelain
an apple sits
Face to face with it
a realist painter
tries in vain to paint
the apple as it is
but
it doesn’t let it be
the apple
it has its word to say
and several turns in the apple sack
the apple
and here it is turning
on its real plate
sly on itself
sweetly without moving
and like a duke of Guise who is disguised in a
gas-burner
because someone despite his protests wants to
paint his portrait
the apple is disguised in beautiful fruit
disguised
and it is then
that the realist painter
starts to realize
that all the apple’s appearance are against him
and
like a poor unfortunate
like the poor needy who are found
at once at the
mercy of it-doesn’t-matter-what association
beneficent and charitable and formidable with beneficence of charity and formidability
the unfortunate realist painter
finds himself suddenly then to be the sad prey
of an innumerable mob of associations of ideas
And the apple while turning evokes
the apple tree
the earthly Paradise and Eve and then Adam
the watercan the espalier potato soup
the stairs
Canada the Hesperides Normandy Pippin and
Lady-Apple
the serpent of the Palm Play the sermon of the
Apple Juice
and the original sin and the origins of art
and the Swiss with William Tell
and even Isaac Newton
several times excelled at the Statement of Universal Gravitation
and the dazed painter loses sight of his model
and falls asleep
It’s then that Picasso
who was passing by there as
he passes everywhere
each day like at his home
sees the apple and the plate and the painter
asleep
What an idea to paint an apple
says Picasso
and Picasso eats the apple
and apple says to him Thanks
and Picasso breaks the plate
and goes away smiling
and the painter pulled up from his dreams
like a tooth
finds himself all alone before his unachieved
work
with a beautiful mix of his broken crockery
the terrifying pips of reality.
–Jacques Prévert
PICASSO’S CONSTITUTIONAL
On a perfectly round real porcelain plate
a real apple is posing
face to face
with a realist painter
vainly trying to paint
the apple as it really is
But
the apple won’t let him
the apple’s got its own view
and a few tricks left in the bag
and the apple won’t keep still
on its real plate
surreptitiously shifting without really moving
and like the Duc de Guise disguised in gauze
to evade the gaze of those portraitist guys
it’s drawing a veil
slyly masquerading as a fine piece of fruit
it won’t co-operate
And so the realist begins to realise
that every aspect of applehood’s against him
and like some poor beggar suddenly
at the mercy of well-meaning donations
and the target of every charitable appeal
by every imaginable volunteer corps
for the relief of poverty
the poor realist painter
suddenly finds himself beggared
by the wealth of free associations
the artful apple conjures up: apple trees
Paradise on Earth and Eve then Adam
with watering can trellis snakes and ladders adders
Canada the Hesperides Johnny Appleseed
the Swiss and William Tell
Sir Isaac Newton upon whom the distinction
of discovering the First Law of Universal Gravitation
fell
Northern Spy Granny Smith apple pie Emmanuelle
the entire applecart
original sin
and Aboriginal art
and the bewildered painter loses sight of what he was going to paint
and falls asleep
Now along comes Picasso
who happens to be passing on his daily constitutional
through life
and sees the apple and the plate and the painter fast asleep
Fancy trying to paint an apple
says Picasso
and eats it
and the apple says Thank you
and Picasso breaks the plate
and goes on his way rejoicing
and the painter, yanked out of his dreams
like a tooth
finds himself all alone in front of his unfinished canvas
and right in the middle of his broken china
the frighteningly real pips of truth.
