POETRY/GINT-Henri de Regnier

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                            Wish

I'd like to show your eyes the plains
And a forest green and ruddy,
Far off and soft
Under clear skies on the horizon,
Or some hills
With lovely slopes
So changing and supple and misty,
Seeming to melt in the sweetness of the air,
Either hills
Or forest.
I'd like
For you to hear
Strong, vast, deep, and tender,
The great dull voice of the sea
That moans
Like Love;
And once in a while
Right next to you,
In the interval,
I'd like you to hear
Right next to you
A dove
In the silence
Both soft and weak
Like Love a trifle in the shadows,
I'd like you to hear
The gushing of a spring
For your hands I'd like some flowers,
And for your steps
I'd like a little path, grassy and sandy
Going up a bit and coming down,
Turning and seeming
To approach the limits of silence.
A very little sandy path
Where your steps would leave faint marks,
Our steps
Together.

                             The Voice

I do not wish anyone to be near my sadness—
Not even your dear step and your loved face,
Nor your indolent hand which caresses with a finger
The lazy ribbon and the closed book.

Leave me. Let my door today remain closed;
Do not open my window to the fresh wind of morning;
My heart today is miserable and sullen
And everything seems to me somber and everything seems vain.

My sadness comes from something further than myself;
It is strange to me and is not of me;
And every man, whether he sings or he laughs or he loves,
In his time hears that which speaks low to him,

And something then stirs and awakens,
Is perturbed, spreads and laments in him,
Because of this dull voice which says in his ear
That the flower of life in its fruit is ashes.

Classics 

Henri de Regnier (1864-1936)

One of the early pioneers of what we know as free verse poetry was the French poet, Henri de Regnier. Regnier and his contemporaries, Jules Laforgue and Jean Moréas included, took up the idea of symbolism, a flowering trend in France during the late nineteenth century. Symbolism set to express emotions and feelings in a less rigid, strict, and direct way. Such things were conveyed by suggestion, incorporating a more vague and metaphorical style. The style was largely in influence of Charles Baudelaire, a fellow French poet, however during his time as a symbolist Regnier’s largest influence was Stephane Mallarmé, also French.

Some of his most notable earlier poetry, Poèmes anciens et romanesques, or The Old and Romantic Poems were published in 1891. In it he experimented with symbolism using mostly free verse, which he used quite skillfully. Shortly after publishing Poèmes anciens et romanesques Regnier fell in love with and married Marie Lousie de Heredia, also a poet. By 1906 Regnier’s style had been influenced to a much more classical, form sitting style follow more traditional models. This change is largely by influence of José Maria de Heredia, father of Regnier’s wife.  It is in 1906 that the poetic volume La Sandale ailée was published showcasing Regnier’s new style.  Poems from The Wingèd Sandal, the English translation of La Sandale ailée was released in 1933. Regnier also wrote several successful novels that reflected his interest in history and the world, including Double Lover in 1900 and Sinner in 1920, plus the stories contained in The Acacia.  He is now buried in the Cimetière du Père Lachaise, in France. 

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