Today is the birthday of ill-fated French-Canadian poet Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (June 13, 1912 - 1943)…
He was the cofounder of the important French Canadian literary journal La Relève (1934; “The Relief”). His intense and introspective verse, filled with images of death and despair, set him apart from the prevailing regionalism of Canadian literature and strongly influenced the poets who followed.
He developed a heart problem while very young and interrupted his university studies to devote himself full-time to poetry, living out the role of the poète maudit. At the time of his death in 1943, he was living with his parents in Quebec: he was canoeing alone and died of an apparent heart attack, aged a mere 31…
Cage d’oiseau
Je suis une cage d’oiseau
Une cage d’os
Avec un oiseau
L’oiseau dans sa cage d’os
C’est la mort qui fait son nid
Lorsque rien n’arrive
On entend froisser ses ailes
Et quand on a ri beaucoup
Si l’on cesse tout à coup
On l’entend qui roucoule
Au fond
Comme un grelot
C’est un oiseau tenu captif
La mort dans ma cage d’os
Voudrait-il pas s’envoler
Est-ce vous qui le retiendrez
Est-ce moi
Qu’est-ce que c’est
Il ne pourra s’en aller
Qu’après avoir tout mangé
Mon cœur
La source de sang
Avec la vie dedans
Il aura mon âme au bec.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translation (composite of John Glassco’s, George Dance’s and my versions):
Bird Cage
I am a bird cage
A cage of bone
With a bird
.
The bird in the cage of bone
Is death building his nest
.
When nothing is happening
One can hear him ruffle his wings
.
And when one has laughed a lot
If one suddenly stops
One can hear him cooing
Deep down
Like a small bell
.
It is a bird held captive
Death in my cage of bone
.
Wouldn’t he like to fly away
Are you holding him back
Am I
What is it
.
He cannot fly away
Until he has eaten all
My heart
The source of blood
With its life inside
.
He will have my soul in his beak
