English Translation of Leon-Paul Fargue’s Poemes

The introduction (by the translator) to this volume breaks new ground, and underlines Fargue’s importance both as a major poet and as a modernist. The preface by the important poet and editor, Peter Gizzi, will prove useful even to those who are very au courant with modern poetry. Fargue has never been translated into English, apart from a few poems in a Penguin anthology. St. John Perse, Joyce, and Rilke all considered Fargue one of the major poets of his age. And his best work, most agree, is the body of prose poems. These have the appeal of the flâneur genre, the kind of lively prose vignettes of Paris that Baudelaire made popular. This translation capitalizes on the visual appeal of Paris scenes, while also highlighting Fargue’s unique sense of the poetic, which was an important contribution to developing Modernism. Fargue blends Surrealism with a delicate musical stillness which evolves from French Symbolism. At the same time, Fargue’s often strange and unsettling images unfold a more personal sense of the poetic: his conviction that the poetic image is a return to, a re-writing of, childhood, an unlocking of the most intimate passages in time. Poëmes is Fargue’s first major work, a turning point in his writing, and an exemplary suite of prose poems. Facing page translations.