February 27, 2008

Poem: Francis Poulenc

FRANCIS POULENC



For years in and out of the streets,

Among the bitches of the day,

Christ-like....

 

Mirror-holding guttersnipes, most

Of us flirted with faith

As if

 

The world yoyoed only on turns of

State and our jazzy jokes.

Gradually

 

Everyone drifted apart to find

Their own respectability

And realm.

 

For me, Ferroud's death in Hungary

Proved to be a turning point.

Fanfare

 

Gave way to litanies, motets, and

Tortured dialogues out on

The far edges

 

Of the monastery mind, but I still

Shuttled between the music

Of the street

 

And the sanity of dogma. More than

Milhaud or Honegger,

I grew old

 

A young man still, a throwback,

Derivative, tracing personal

Origins.

 

Who is to say what flows on with

The times and what remains

Behind?

 

Before I die, a couple of sonatas

Must stacatto

Down

 

The years, reaching even before I

Was alive -- I do this to bury

Myself.

 

(from In Sight of Chaos, 1971, Turret Books, London)


Posted by Tom at 23:13:58 | Permanent Link | Comments (10) |
Comments
1 - Not sure how I discovered Poulenc -- perhaps just browsing the racks at The Record Shop in Waterbury CT. While still in high school I bought a Nonesuch album there of his sonatas for piano and (respectively) oboe, flute and clarinet. Still addicted to them. (Comment this)

Written by: Tom at 2008/02/28 - 00:34:41
2 - Hate to admit I never heard of Poulenc, but while I was reading the poem (and before I saw your comment) I thought: music, this reads more like lyrics. Looks like I'll have to see what I can do to find more of his work. --Trish (Comment this)

Written by: Trish at 2008/02/28 - 15:25:38
3 - Thanks, Trish. The sonatas I mentioned are wonderfully consoling and playfully encouraging works anytime, but especially so on gray wintry mornings. (Comment this)

Written by: Tom at 2008/02/29 - 00:54:19
4 - I don't know Poulenc's work either, but I like the way each stanza fades and "staccato(s) down" as if he's repeatedly rallying after exhausting himself once more.

I have a vague recollection that Hermann Hesse wrote a book or essay called "In Sight of Chaos" - any connection? (Comment this)

Written by: Philip at 2008/03/02 - 18:40:18
5 - Spot on, Philip. I loved Hesse back then -- still do, but I think I see him more in perspective now than I did at the time, when he was hot, must-read. I still have a bunch of '70s Penguins, but the works of his that I treasure to this day are STEPPENWOLF and DEMIAN, along with some of his short stories. I knew that IN SIGHT OF CHAOS was the title of one of his books, I liked the title, and since the book was unavailable in English then, I grabbed it.

As Morrissey once said, I've changed my plea to guilty: "staccato" is not a verb. (Comment this)

Written by: Tom at 2008/03/03 - 00:32:16
6 - I don't see anything to be guilty about. "Staccato" may not be officially a verb, but a bit of flexibility with the parts of speech only hurts in the event of unnecessary dislocation, as in the pronouncements of the British government and its PR wing, the British press. We have recently been treated to the verb "to grow", meaning "to increase", and the verb "to trial" meaning "to try out". The British government is worried about other people's illiteracy.

I thought I'd read a lot of Hesse, but I realise I've only ever read Steppenwolf and The Glass Bead Game (another one of those remarkable literary works which manages to be Not A Science Fiction Novel). They both made a vivid impression. (Comment this)

Written by: Philip at 2008/03/03 - 15:39:06
7 - Tom
sorry to do it this way but i don't know how to contact you. this is nat, phil edwards' son - phil had a major heart attack on tuesday and is in the queen elizabeth hospital in woolwich. he has not regained consciousness and things are not looking clever for him. if you want to send him some fond thoughts - today would be a good day to do it
nat (Comment this)

Written by: nat edwards at 2008/03/07 - 06:13:42
8 - I'm very sorry to hear that. Phil and I worked and hung out together for years in London, he was great fun, a terrific book man and there was never a sour moment. All my thoughts and memories of him are more than fond, to say the least. Here's hoping that things take a turn for the better now. Thank you so much for getting in touch, Nat. Please contact me at: thomas.tessier@snet.net (Comment this)

Written by: Tom at 2008/03/07 - 10:39:57
9 - Lovely poem Tom, with some wonderful lines/images. I never heard of Poulenc either. I will see about getting a DVd of those sonatas. Any recommendations re particular recordings? (Comment this)

Written by: markymark at 2008/03/15 - 06:38:01
10 - Thank you for your kind comment on the poem, Mark. The compact disc that I have is called Poulenc Chamber Music, a London Records/Decca/PolyGram recording. It's copyright date is 1989 but it may well have been reissued since. It includes the three sonatas as well as a couple of other short pieces, and the excellent pianist is Pascal Roge. The clarinet sonata, BTW, was written by Poulenc for (or dedicated to)...Benny Goodman. (Comment this)

Written by: Tom at 2008/03/16 - 17:57:29
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