Dinnerplate dahlias spinning against a deep-blue, cloud-grazed sky in Maine transported me to the notes of Paul Verlaine‘s dahlia (“Un Dahlia”). Like a cool courtesan, the flower rises full and jewel-like, yet lacking the earthy perfume and oil of humble jasmine. Verlaine broke with the formality and philosophical leanings of earlier 19th-century poets to express the natural musicality of the French language and the power of everyday images.
Translation is a funny thing. Out of curiosity, I flipped through Bergen Applegate’s Paul Verlaine: His Absinthe-Tinted Song, which appeared 20 years after the poet’s death in 1896. His translation of “A Dahlia” plods heavily. Verlaine’s movement toward modern word-music disappears.
Courtesan with hard breast and eye opaque and brown,
That slowly opens like the calm eyes of a steer,
Your thick stem shines like marble, newly cut and clear.
Flower plump and rich, yet odorless, all your renown,
Is in your tempting body, serene as summer skies,
That dully glows, displaying its rare harmonies.
Nor have you flesh like those fair ones who all day
Strew on the summer fields the rows of new mown hay,
Enthroning you, dumb idol, ‘midst the incense light.
Thus, the kingly Dahlia, clad in robes of splendor,
Rises without pride his head that has no odor
Disdainfully, among the taunting jasmines white.
Fast forward almost 100 years: Norman Shapiro’s translation (One Hundred and One Poems by Paul Verlaine: A Bilingual Edition, page 23) rings cleanly, as shown in the first verse:
Hard-bosomed courtesan, magnificent
Marble-glossed figure; eye opaque, of solid
Brown, opening like a bull’s, languid and stolid.
For the remaining copyright-protected verses, you’ll need to order the print version or peruse it online. Shapiro’s contemporary word choices and superior syntax create a satisfying read. Nonetheless, something lyrically gets lost in translation when you’re not reading the original aloud (click on the audio below to hear the poem in French).
Un Dahlia
Courtisane au sein dur, à l’oeil opaque et brun
S’ouvrant avec lenteur comme celui d’un boeuf,
Ton grand torse reluit ainsi qu’un marbre neuf.
Fleur grasse et riche, autour de toi ne flotte aucun
Arôme, et la beauté sereine de ton corps
Déroule, mate, ses impeccables accords.
Tu ne sens même pas la chair, ce goût qu’au moins
Exhalent celles-là qui vont fanant les foins,
Et tu trônes, Idole insensible à l’encens.
—Ainsi le Dahlia, roi vêtu de splendeur,
Elève sans orgueil sa tête sans odeur,
Irritant au milieu des jasmins agaçants!
I love the adventures born in your abundant sense of curiosity! They are often lovely. Thanks for giving me a peek. Today I looked up Haw (a fruit used in candy in Asia) and Mayhaw – used in the South to make jelly, etc. Turns out they are related and both in the hawthorn family… just an fyi.
Chinese Haw: https://www.onegreenworld.com/Chinese%20Haw/RedSun8482/393/
Crataegus pinnatifida
Mayhaw: https://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JFE/product-category/fruit-trees/mayhaw/
Crataegus series Aestivales
These links are cool, Karen. I love your foodie posts on FB! Will you develop another cookbook?
Thanks for reading posts on http://catherinehamrick.com I’ve really been tweaking its look. Fun.
I love dahlias and I love your post!
Thanks so much for reading. Memory of this poem came out of 30 years of nowhere–that’s the power of a Maine dahlia.
It’s a masterpiece. I enjoyed reading this. More please Storyteller!!
Thanks, Dr. M. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Ah, as handsomely cravatted Humpty Dumpy might conjecture, there are dahlias and there are un-dahlias (flowers which, pretty in their own inimitable way, presumably have none of the characteristics of Antonio José Cavanilles’s find, which was named in homage of Anders Dahl for reasons best known to Cavanilles.)
Verlaine’s my favourite poet, this post inspired me to look up my beloved Pléiade complete works to re-read a few of these Poemes (sorry no accent circonflèxe) Saturniens, as always a delight. Many thanks for the compared translations, which are particularly interesting for me as translating poems is something I do professionally 🙂
Verlaine is one of my favorites, too. I’m going to re-read this month!
Inspiring!