TU ES PLUS BELLE QUE LE CIEL ET LA MER
In response to this this post from Josh Brown of a Cavafy poem, Blaise Cendrar's poem to his love (back in Paris), written on a trip to Brazil (1924).
YOU ARE LOVELIER THAN THE SKY AND THE SEA
When you are in love you must leave
Leave your wife leave your child
Leave your friend leave your sweetheart
Leave your lover
When you're in love you must leave
The world is full of black men and black women
Of women men men women
Look at the fine shops
That cab that man that woman that cab
And all the beautiful things to buy
There is the the air the wind
The mountains the water sky earth
Children animals
Plants and coal
Learn to sell buy resell
Give take give take
When you're in love you must know how
To sing run eat drink
Whistle
And learn to work
When you're in love you must leave
Don't build a nest between two breasts
Breathe walk leave go away
I take my bath and I look
I see the mouth I know
The hand the leg The the eye
I take my bath and look
The whole world is always there
Life full of surprising things
I leave the drugstore
I have just weighed myself
I weigh my 80 kilos
I love you
BLAISE CENDRARS
Feuilles de route (Travel Notes)
1924