Monsieur Hugo,
How did you have the heart to kill him?
Regardez son jeune visage,
No more than eleven years old.
Avec ses pistolets jumeaux dans les mains
He marches at the side of Liberty
Le jeunesse de Paris suivant derrière
Over a wall of death
« La Liberté guidant le peuple »
But who is she compared to him
Ce petit garçon qui s'est sacrifié pour la fronde
She is goddess; he is HUMAN.
La fumée a dégagée et il s’est couché sur la rue
Where he used to sleep with only dreams as comfort
Si pour un jour juste, il a eu un endroit et était un homme
Si pour un jour, il a était de l’histoire.
And his name forever is Gavroche.
All English:
Mr. Hugo,
How did you have the heart to kill him?
Look at his young face,
No more than eleven years old.
With his twin pistols in hand,
He marches at the side of Liberty,
The young people of Paris following behind
Over a wall of death.
“Liberty guiding the people”
But who is she compared to him
This little boy who sacrificed himself for the uprising
She is goddess; he is HUMAN.
The smoke cleared and he was lying in the street
Where he used to sleep with only dreams as comfort
If for one day only, he had a place and was a man
If for one day only, he was of history.
And his name forever is Gavroche.
En Français:
Monsieur Hugo,
Comment avez-vous le coeur pour le tuer?
Regardez son jeune visage,
De pas plus d'onze ans.
Avec ses pistolets jumeaux dans les mains
Il marche avec la Liberté
Le jeunesse de Paris suivant derrière
Au-dessus d'un mur de mort
« La Liberté guidant le peuple »
Mais qui est-elle quand on l'a comparée à lui
Ce petit garçon qui s'est sacrifié pour la fronde
Elle est une déesse; il est un HUMAIN.
La fumée a dégagée et il s’est couché sur la rue
Où il a dormi avec juste ses rêves pour soulager
Si pour un jour juste, il a eu un endroit et était un homme
Si pour un jour, il a était de l’histoire.
Et on l’appelle toujours Gavroche.
Author notes
Just over a year,
Athena of Starlite,
16,
Just about every day
^^
A stroke of genius or a stroke of madness? Combine two languages, one of which I hardly speak, into a poem about that which many people will either care enough to hate me or don't care at all.
Gavroche, as many will know, is a character from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, which I have read. What some may not know is that Gavroche was originally a creation of Eugène Delacroix, the famous French Painter. The part in quotation marks is the title of his work. Here's a pic: http://www.lettres.ac-versailles.fr/IMG/jpg/2libert1.jpg (and how cool is it that I saw it in person!) So there you see my inspiration.
If you haven't read Les Miserables, here's an explaination. Gavroche is the son of one of the antagonists, Thénardier. Cast off by his family and the rest of society, he is a homeless pickpocket befriended by the revolutionaries known as the Friends of the ABC (I won't explain that, to much time). Later, Gavroche fights on the infamous barricades alongside young and old, and yes, he dies. It's symbolic in how most of those fighting were in their youth (though maybe not quite so young), and also that someone born from such evil could die such a righteous and virtuous death.
If you still don't understand, google "Paris rebellion of 1832", "Les Miserables", or just read the book (although that might take several weeks).
D'ac. C'est tout.
And the translation is horrible. I know.
Ne me tuez pas, s'il vous plait!!!!!
A contest entry
- Une saison en enfer by Aesthete.
1500 points, ended August 24, 2007, 62 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - The Raven Contest: Uncovering Genius in the Written Word by Raven Contest.
14500 points, ended October 1, 2007, 53 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - PREWRITES ONLY by wingsofgold25.
500 points, ended September 28, 2007, 117 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Multi-option Contest by Deus Proteje.
600 points, ended February 1, 2008, 17 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Poème Français by Truth-in-Chaos.
450 points, ended March 6, 2008, 15 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Audition Round by Blooming Poet.
300 points, ended May 14, 2008, 34 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 14 of 14
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This poem for me shows how versitile you can be in your writing. Congrats you have made it past the audition round.
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50/50 for following rules
20/25 for overall poetic ability
25/25 for Creativity in writing, pics or backgrounds added. -
a wonderful poem with a powerful message ...
c'est très joli comme vous avez combiné les deux langues de manière si créative ...
magnifique !
maa
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Your words have made the book a 'must read'. thank your for your interesting description. Conratulations on the silver, well deserved.
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Thanks - the book may take a while, but Hugo is the best author of the 19th century, much better than Dickens by my standards. His prose is like poetry, even through the translations.
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Masterful.
Wow, this is a very well-written piece. I'm glad that my piece can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such a good poem. Best of luck in the Multi-Option Contest.
~L
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Whoa
This really made me a bit bewildered. I very much like it in fact. Two things other than the poem make you very popular with me. Firstly, you actually remembered to put the option number in like I requested, and two you provided a very clear translation of the piece.
Good job, best of luck (I'd applaud but I'm all out) -
Since I don't speak or read the French language I was compelled to read only the English part of this piece, but at the same time, I was interested to see how you have created a complete picture of culture that wouldn't be as complete without the translations. Thusly, I think you have done well to include them, and I wanted to mention that. Also, the author's notes shed light on both your inspiration and some of the history behind it. This is always a useful addition as the audience seldom has the same life experiences as the author.
The single reason why understanding of our past lives on in our contemporary minds is because it is passed forward deliberately. Some of that is done through schooling, some through popular culture, and still more through a meeting of the minds as encouraged by site such as Allpoetry. We are compelled to believe that learning about our past causes us to learn about ourselves, today. That said, you have joined ranks of the noble souls who have dedicated time (even if just in brief) to the continuing of this understanding.
Thank you for your entry.
~Das -
A very well written piece. Thank you for your entry.
I wish you the best of luckmin the contest. -
Well, I am glad for your notes or I would of been confused. Since I have not read that book it sounds very interesting. I see how you pick the person in the book and brought out for us to view. It reminds me that liberty in any culture is bought with a price, someone life. I read it the second time with a little more understanding of what was being brought out to the reader. This is actually one that I have not read. So I found it be more intriguing. Very well done. To me it fresh write. Wishing you the very best on the final round.
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Poetry comes in many forms and guises and what I’m pleased to see here is the author’s willingness to push the boundaries and attempt something new. To me it shows someone who is prepared to expand thought, which is very commendable.
I can not pass comment on the French section of this work as my recollection of the language is very limited but I feel the English version of it may possibly work for those readers who have some knowledge of Les Miserables but be less effective for those that do not and so the inclusion of author notes is a benefit to them. In this context I think the poem in its own right is not self explanatory enough for readers to work out the background reasoning behind the work. I also found it difficult to see Liberty personified in much the same way as we personify fate when used as a comparison to the boy, but this could just be how I view it and other readers may think differently.
What I like about this poem is in viewing it with the picture, it gives us a glimpse into another era when boys were expected to fight and possibly die for causes they probably knew little about. This still happens in some areas of the world today so this work is a reminder to us all that there are still children who are sent to face dreadful circumstances, when they should be living the carefree life that most of us have experienced as children.
Congratulations on reaching the final round of the Raven Contest 2007 and good luck with this entry.
Northern Raven
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Lots of interesting aspects here. I certainly was not dissapointed by this entry. For one, I have never read a bilingual poem, so that was a wonderfully new expirience(though one few can enjoy, I fear) Les Miserables is a phenomenal piece of literature and the painting you speak of by Delacroix is one I would hope most people are at least vaguely familiar with. Like I said, a lot of interesting elements to this and thanks for entering.
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Aw, it's a Gavroche poem. I like it. ^^
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