THE WHITE MOON La Lune blanche
The white moon
Gleams in the wood;
From every branch
There comes a voice
Beneath the bower . . .
O my love.
The pond reflects.
Shimmering mirror.
The silhouette
Of the dim willow
Where the wind laments . . .
Let us dream, it is the hour.
Vast and tender
An appeasement
Seems to lower
From the firmament
Star-bedecked . . .
Exquisite hour. translated by KATE FLORES
Wonderful poem - The white moon ... and sweet Cairo - seems she understands it! Love this ...
Que hermoso
So beautiful! I didn’t know that graceful, exquisite poem. Thank you, Pattiv
I’m visiting your Substack for the first time in a few months. I wanted to tell you that I’ve been feeling really down lately, un-excited and uninspired. But your reading of the poem, then rereading it, and “...we’re explorers” just sparked something that felt really nice. It’s felt like my mind is a snow globe with a layer of dust on the glass, and you just picked up the snow globe and gave it a gentle shake. Thank you, Patti.
Expanding the field (hopefully)... just came across this on YouTube which may be of some interest... a wild speed ride with Henry Miller on Rimbaud pulling in Ezra Pound en route...https://www.youtube.com/live/QxPyO_ITfM0?feature=share
How lovely, Patti. Enjoy Bogota. Life's twists have brought me to the deep jungles of Panama and it's here I'm opening ALMA: A Women's Artist's Residency. One day, if the winds of life bring you to Panama, it would be such a pleasure to host you.
With admiration,
Monique
Cairo+You=PureLove 🥰
Thank you Patti. I love being an explorer with you as my guide ! Safe travels . Cairo will undoubtedly miss you ! 😊✌🏼
Thank you for sharing that lovely poem, your thoughts and Cairo.
I love to go through a poem twice (or more). The meaning often deepens or changes for me in subsequent readings.
Great to hear you read it several times, the meaning and images sink deeper each time 🙏🏽
I am so happy that you are here in Bogotá at the same time that I am here in vacation. I will see you tomorrow at Teatro Colon! I am thrilled to see you live!
I love that you call us Explorers!! Thank you for sharing this lovely poem. Thanks to for sharing lovely Cairo...that cat adores you! Safe travels!
Paul Verlaine, lucky you. Love him live.
The statement "We are not aiming for perfection. We are explorers " should be made into tee shirts.
Bring on the merch !
„We are not aiming for perfection , we are explorers“ .... a perfect mantra/reminder for me! Thank you always patti for your authenticity, your wisdom, your innate kindness..... a beautiful poem read from a beautiful soul.
Such a beautiful poem and thank you for reading it to us explorers. Also, it is always such a joy to see you and Cairo together. It’s calming and loving and he is beyond adorable. Safe, fun and wondrous travels to your next unexplored country. I’ll be curious what treasures your camera will find.
Thanks for the reminder "... that we are explorers".
I needed to hear that today.
Safe travels and sweet adventures!
Dear Patti I’am a huge fan of you I am from Ecuador and now looking tickets tingly to bogota to see you
And lucky to have you as our lead explorer!
Thank you so much - listening sitting out by the lake - early hour - mourning doves lamenting - safe travels ❤️
The White Moon is a term from astrology to describe the lunar perigee when the moon is closest to the earth and hence at its brightest in our skies. I wonder how Verlaine knew of this phenomenon in his time?
So beautiful, third time's a charm & on & on
It might’ve been SoundWalk Collective (?) with whom you collaborated a few years ago pre-pandemic during which you offered a signed poem in honor and support of Greta. I regret not having procured one. Might you do this again sometime? Every time you go on a journey, I want to take care of Cairo :)
I just simply adore exploring along with you.
Thank you Patti. ❤
I loved it what a sweet poem.. safe travels! can’t wait to see your pictures from Bogota!
So looking forward to seeing you next month in Seattle too!
And the last statement in your audio is why I think that I love you most. We’re not striving for perfection, we’re just explorers.
What happened to all the Rock n Roll animals? I went to see The Smile, headlining the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, and if the played longer than 1:30 I’ll cut my middle finger off! I don’t even think they played an encore! What happened to bands wanting to play? Seems like Covid turned a lot of people into babies who can’t go out past midnight…FYI - That’s when the fun used to start! And many many bands would go on at midnight or later….we need to get back to “normal”!
"We're not aiming for perfection here, we're explorers" - I'm holding that one close to my heart, a new mantra!
The perfection is in the poetry. We are mere humans. But we will persist in attempting to bring poetic divinity into our humanness. You have made such a good start on pushing us forward into that enterprise… Enjoy Bogota. Be safe . Be well. Peace always. ✌️🌹
I love that Cairo is an extension of you Patti. She is such a well loved and loving cat...and it shows, as she listens intently to you read, and like us, appreciates the time we all spend together with you. Thank you. X
I thought it was lovely Patti. Thank you. ❤️ and Cairo! love that kitty.
Oh yes, we are explorers. Thank you, Patti, for this gorgeous poem. I love to listen to your read it, over and over. Wishing you safe travels as you journey to Bogota.
Patti - thanks for sending us down the poetry set to music path. Check out Songs of Innocence and Experience by Greg Brown (1986, Red House Records). Look forward to your sharing Bogotá with us. ¡Buen viaje!
In Monastic Chatolic mysticism there is a way to read the daily words.
Lectio Devina .
Read once to read it.
Read twice to feel/ understand / think it.
Read three times to hear the voice of Spirit trying to speak to you through the words.
It's a very applicable way to read poetry.
Brings a blessing to the endeavor of the non perfect spiral exploration.
We are explorers , it keeps us inspired and sane for sure.
Patti's explorer scouts !
Catholic ( spelled right)
Thank you for your transparent process in seeking the rhythm of the poem to be spoken aloud
vast and tender as always, Thank you Patti
What a beautiful poem and the lovely Cairo thought so too, she always knows when you’re going away and stays so close to you bless her.
Enjoy Bogotá. I’ve never been so look forward to seeing photos. Safe journey Patti 🙏
Beautiful poem, moving.
Such a beautiful poem---thank you!
Explorers yes! Remember. I wiyld always catsit Cairo
Each reading was exquisite, showing how malleable language is, how magical words are, multifaceted. Cairo put her head on your arm as you read, listening at just the right time. Fully participating in the Smithposium. She’s your Teaching Assistant.
If you ever have time to tell us: what is the Peace sign behind you when you read? Perfect background.
Love and safe travels 🌺
Thank you, its my own design I made for tee shirts some time ago.
Beautiful!
Wonderful 😊
You are the perfect explorer 😘
James Joyce was fascinated by the sounds of the words in Finnegan's Wake. Such a complicated work.
I am fortunate to have a first edition, signed by him in green.
A beautiful poem by Paul Verlaine as well as some words from William Blake as I stumble through some difficult times just now are a gift ! Your work and your positive energy are truly inspiring as are your Smithposiums and Cairo ! Safe travels Patti , have a wonderful trip !
Wonderful reading thanks Patti. Captures the longing but also the uncertainty of the beauty in this poem. I love Verlaine.
I researched about Verlaine last night after watching the last video. I came across the poem 'l'heure exquise', and it reads beautifully in French. Hearing you read it in English this morning was such a blessing. The beauty of the verses remains in the translation, but the rhyme of the French language is lost. So, I'm attaching the original once, hope that's okay.
I wanted to learn more about Verlaine, this ambivalent poet with his beautiful, profound poems, and on the other hand, his personality. In doing so, I found a text by Mrs. Reginald de Koven about Verlaine, which I found very interesting “Verlaine: A Feminine Appreciation”. She touches on Baudelaire's influence on Verlaine, as well as Verlaine's personality. I'll post the link; maybe someone else would like to read it too. Safe travels to Bogota!
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52798/52798-h/52798-h.htm#Page_27
very interesting , thank you for sharing your research in this post. I really wish i had put more effort into my high school French studies
Thank you for the link!
La lune blanche luit dans les bois.
De chaque branche part une voix
sous la ramée…
O bien aimée.
L’étang reflète, profond miroir,
la silhouette du saule noir
où le vent pleure…
Rêvons, c’est l’heure.
Un vaste et tendre apaisement
semble descendre du firmament
que l’astre irise.
C’est l’heure exquise.
Beautiful to read, even though I don’t read French I gave it a shot and it sounded really good to my humble ears. Thank you for that, spoken French is like silky speech, I could listen to it over and over!
I don’t know French, but can at least see and hear the rhyming. Thank you for pointing it out and providing the text, Anna. I really appreciate it!
Thank you for this, Anna. Though my French is shaky, I can see the beauty of the original, especially in the rhyming scheme. That must be a huge dilemma for a translator of poetry; to keep the essence of the poem or to retain the rhyming sequence at the expense of some of the images or other structural elements. This is the perfect example of how difficult a task translation is. Thanks again.
Thank you for your thoughts on this, Jim. I appreciate your insights on the complexities of poetry translation and the delicate balance between preserving the essence of the poem and maintaining its rhyming scheme and structural elements. The chosen translation here certainly brings its own unique beauty with it. Warm regards, A
Absolutely, Jim. My friend Heidi (whom I always talk about here) translated poetry (French) and she used to agonize over those choices, among many others.
For an interesting example of the difficulty of translation, look at some poems by Paul Celan, who wrote in German. His poems are so close to the bone that they seem impossible to translate, and the nature of German is such that you can make words up that simply can’t exist in any other language -- schadenfreude (pleasure derived from another’s misfortune) is a good example. What other language could have a word for it? Anyway, it’s interesting to see how various people translate someone as spare as Celan. Oh! Wouldn’t it be interesting to see Emily Dickinson translated in other languages? I never thought of that. I’m going to look that up, though not being fluent in any language but English, I won’t be able to appreciate the translations. Does anyone here have experience with Dickinson translated into a language other than English?
Sorry for the tangent. Translation is such a fascinating thing to contemplate and it seems to me that there’s been a crypto-Smithposium ongoing as Patti has taken us through Rimbaud.
When Heidi had finally finished a translation she’d labored over, she would often say, “I think I wrote that poem!” It was -- and wasn’t -- a joke. It’s absolutely true under Wittgenstein’s rule that “the limits of my language are the limits of my world.” In some sense, a different translation is a different poem, the way a song is different when a different artist covers it. Patti, would you say that covering a song is an act of translation?
What Patti describes doing with Rimbaud -- and I do the same, as I imagine many do with beloved poems in other languages than one’s own -- in culling aspects of various translations, is itself an act of translation and results in yet another variation of the poem.
Sorry for the tangent; You raise such an interesting point, Jim, and Anna, thank you for initiating this iteration of a discussion I think has been ubiquitous throughout.
Warm wishes to all and gratitude for the depth and liveliness of this study.
So much food for thought. I've read some Celan because, I believe, you mentioned him before. But now I wonder if I've really read him at all. Just fascinating.
I love good cover versions but I've never thought of them as translations before. Patti is one of the best at that art form, bringing new life to songs we thought we knew. I'd be intrigued to read her thoughts on your question.
I'm touched that you brought Heudi into the conversation. It's always good to see her here.
All the best.
Jim
Thank you so much for welcoming Heidi, Jim. It means the world to me. And I agree about Patti having a gift for the art of covering songs. I think it has to do with how dearly she cherishes what and whom she admires and appreciates. Covering a song is, I think, a form of cherishing. I also think she’s so good at it because she is not afraid to make mistakes -- because she’s an explorer.
Ah! En français c’est mieux , le rythme des mots si parfaits
Merci pour le partage
I've said it before and I'm sure I will again: You are a global treasure. Your beautiful soul shines through in nearly all that you do. And you read the poem beautifully btw :-).
"Nous ne sommes pas ici pour atteindre la perfection, nous explorons".
C'est tellement vrai.
Merci Patti.
Bon voyage.
Thanks, Patti.
I enjoyed the reading of the poem.
For me, this poem is thrilling as the perspective shifts up and down like a rollercoaster
Thank you for this comment! It helped me look at the poem differently.
I would love to have a role in supporting the quest with a thread from Ariadne
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=jR7kCwgqSEI&feature=share
https://www.babelmatrix.org/works/fr/Verlaine%2C_Paul-1844/La_lune_blanche.../en/4613-The_Moon%2C_White…
Am curious! Who looks after your cat when you’re away?
Your amusement while you speak about poetry is so inspiring 🌸✨
Thank you for this
Lovely!
Who's feeding Cairo? I worry.
Bon voyage.
Lovely poem Patti, I'm so happy to be exploring with you.
I love your way Patti!! ‘We are explorers’
Safe travels !!
Beautiful poem, Patti.
Safe travels!
Beautiful reading. Safe travels to Bogota. Great to see Cairo too. Thank you Patti.
thanks for sharing the lovely poem!
I thought the Perfect Vision triptych with Soundwalk Collective was brilliant. Safe travels, enjoy, and thank you!
🙏
Patti, love that your Smithposium ion Rimbaud is taking so long because it allows us to reflect on his life, his time, his influences, on what it means to be a poet and on poetry itself. See things from different perspectives. As well as to read and listen to you read so many poems. If we are not explorers what are we ! Thank you for taking us on this expedition.
Safe travels to Bogotá. Colombia is well known for its coffee, so you surely will be happy there.
Another evening song......As you read, Cairo breathing in and out and her head moving up and don with your breath. Such a calm to watch and to experience the "exquisite hour" which seems to be a lullaby.
Thank you, Patti......a quiet and lovely good night.
I don’t know where you get your stamina to keep traveling, but you seem to be thriving despite all the obstacles!
Thank you for reading and re-reading the poem. It was great to hear it different ways and to be a poetry explorer with you!
Patti, I love that you read and reread the poem, and in so doing demonstrated and proved that poetry is music. You could easily have been re-singing a song that you felt had gone wrong, and hearing the first version was like seeing drafts of the poem! Your last reading was the most beautiful.
I know what you mean about some poetry being hard to say aloud, but I do believe that all poetry should be read -- that we readers have to work to find the reading that feels truest and brings out the music. Whitman and Ginsberg, for example, are hard to read because one runs out of breath, the lines go for so long. With all poetry, it takes work to find the tempo but when one does, I think that’s when the magic of the poem really happens. A poet like Dickinson can be challenging because her meter is so regular that it can sound sing-songly simplistic, so we have to let the dashes -- what I think Dickinson meant when she said “staples in the song” -- lead us. When we come upon dashes, they inform our reading and somehow, what seemed simple and redundant becomes new and arresting. Even an exquisitely musical poet like Keats requires practice to read -- and by reading I mean singing.
It was always wonderful to hear Allen Ginsberg sing Blake’s poems.
Thank you for the reading, Patti, and for everyone’s comments herein. You should be proud to call these Smithposiums, because that’s what they are. I can’t recall who named them such, but whoever you are, thank you!
“We’re not aiming for perfection here; we’re explorers” is a line I’ll never forget. And if I forget it, I’ll go exploring and find it again. And when I find it, if I botch the recitation, I’ll try to remember that we’re not aiming for perfection here; we’re explorers.
To reading poems until they sing, and to never ceasing our exploring -
Robin
Ps: May your travel tomorrow be easy, Patti.
Haha, oh Robin, I loved your post as usual!
It reminded me of an afternoon activity with my patients, reading
“The Man from Snowy River”
In the end, I was so out of breath, trying to read it with gusto, that I almost collapsed on the floor. They told me later, that they were concerned because I was going a strange colour!!!!!
What a hoot!
Hope you are getting over your teething problems. I’m just recovering myself from vein surgery on my leg. My other leg to be dealt with next month. Everyone will have to watch out then, I’ll be able to catch them all!! Ha ha!
Always hopeful, Jayne
Dear Jayne,
Thank you for telling me about reading “The Man from Snowy River,” how you ran out of breath and alarmed your students by going a strange color. How wonderful!
I’m sorry you had surgery but it sounds like you are recovering, and I can’t wait to hear from you that you’re catching everyone!
Sending my warm best to you and in echo, I say always hopeful too,
Robin
Dear Robin, I’m glad you liked the story. I might add that I was an Aged care therapist and they were elderly patients in their nineties. I was their student and learnt so much from them.
Thank you for adding that, Jayne. It helps me to better imagine the scene. I can only imagine how much you learned from them. All good teachers know that they are students, but especially when your students have lived so long!
Warmly, as ever,
Robin
“Exquisite hour” -- He bows down in absolute adoration!! Thank you Patti Smith!
Thank you Pat, and yes one can never hope to read a poem or prose as the author felt when writing it
Patti, have a good trip and opening of the exhibition. Call me when you are back. Cairo all taken care of? Love you, D
I think so. I will call you if there is a problem. So grateful for youxxx
Hi Patti,
Cairo appears pensive, savoring your voice and touch in the moment. I think she (he?) may have seen your packed bag.
Wow, Bogota...safe travels and wishes for a trip which brings delight as well as creative energy to you.
"Let us dream, it is the hour.
Vast and tender..."
Read and conveyed to us with such depths of feeling....thank you.
I think Cairo knows you're going away, sweet baby cat, she's so lovely! I loved the reading(s) it's a delight to hear you read to us, a fine end to my day! It was a beautiful day! Not too hot, or too humid. I spent time with my wee donkey outside, she was laying down in the shade napping, and although she knew I was there, she'd drift off and then wake up with a little bounce to her head as if to say,"I'm awake, just resting my eyes!" I went looking under the milkweed leaves in my garden, and found three baby monarch butterfly caterpillars so far! They are so tiny right now, but they grow so fast! Have a safe journey to Bogota!
Onward in our exploring. Safe travels, Patti! Thank you for this lovely reading.
And I love your reading and your attempts at reading, I love your self talk. I love your striving until all the sounds glide so quiet.
Patti, dear Patti. You've walked me through so much of my life. The losses, oh the losses, and the love, the love. My darling man bought me tickets to your show for my sixtieth here in Aotearoa but covid put paid to that. I still have the jacket I bought, the shoes, and my love for you. Thank you. Thank you. Always and ever.
The second reading was delightful. It made my imagination go. Hello to Cairo! Happy travels to you. Soundwalk Collective sounds fascinating. Thank you for everything including that bit at the end "we're not aiming for perfection here, we're explorers!" wouldn't that have been a good motto for the Girl Scouts? Hmmmm
What a nice reading= thank you Patti. A nice way to close the first day of pleasant weather in July. Safe travels to Bogota.
We're not aiming for perfection. We're Explorers. Love this! thank you Patti!
"we're not aiming for perfection here, we're explorers" this is my new favourite quote . how freeing x
“We’re not aiming for perfection. We’re explorers.” Yes!
I’ve been contemplating what Rimbaud said about Baudelaire - that he was limited by his need to be accepted. This was very profound for me: As writers, who do we write for? What are our fears that limit our creativity? What about ourselves do we not want others to see? As explorers, what are we afraid to find out?
I’m living in these questions at the moment, and I look forward to learning more. Thank you, Patti, for this profound exploration.
Good questions, all. Thank you for asking them aloud, Beth.
I love having a poem read at least twice, to ponder the meaning and maybe get another take on it. Thank you! Really enjoyed watching Zen-like Cairo.
I agree with you - Cairo did seem very 'Zen-like' especially the couple times she looked directly at the camera. and seemed to pause.
And resting her chin on Patti's arm!
Oh my love…it is the hour …limns the senses…thank you, Patti, peace.
Have good travels:)
Enjoy your trip to Bogota! Lived there for three years in the early 2000's. "8660 miles closer to the stars". Drink lots of water! Don't miss the La Candelaria, the historical district of the city, and the Botero Museum!
Thought it was lovely.
Love the new glasses Patti! Just getting back (body and soul) from my residency in New Mexico and need to catch up!
You followed one of your own Smith-isms here and kept doing your work. <3
Traveling mercies!
I had a bit of an off day today so your exploration of Verlaine's The White Moon (and Blake and Cairo's presence) was just the tonic I needed. A good thing about today was that I got to listen to the soundtrack to Oppenheimer which I think is brilliant. Best I've heard since Dune. Highly recommended if you enjoy soundtracks.
Have a good exhibition with Soundwalk Collective. I look forward to your next posting. We are explorers is perfect and reminds me of Eliot in Little Gidding:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Jim, it was yesterday that I pulled up Blake's Four Quartets. Someone, I don't remember who,
made reference to Little Gidding in an earlier post. Some of the lines were recognizable, but
I had never read the whole thing. I have missed so much. Could be I just wasn't ready. Now's
the time apparently. Thanks to Patti, you, and the fellow explorers who found their way here -
Just the mention of one writer or artist can lead to infinite explorations of others.
So grateful for this.
So glad you've gotten further into Little Gidding and the Four Quartets, Suzi. They are endlessly rewarding. It was Patris who referred to Little Gidding last night. That's another great thing about this community. Patti opens a door and that leads to a new room and another room and another room. As you say, 'infinite explorations'. It's such a gift. I hope you enjoy exploring Eliot.
Oh dear Jim, big hugs!
I’ve noticed things are a little wild around here too. Spring fever explains it here, but maybe not there where you are. The white moon poem led me to think about something my Old granny used to say
”Everything cries for the moon!” Maybe even Nature.
Thanks for your concern, Jayne. I'm alright. That's an interesting statement that your grandmother had. Poetic in a way... and puzzling. Maybe I'll just let the language sing and not worry about the meaning.
Is that a wolf room? Or, Patti's own rooms :)
I also thought of Eliot, Jim; thank you for quoting him. I’m sorry that you had an off day today and hoping that tomorrow is a better one.
With warmth, as ever,
Robin
Thanks Robin. I'll be fine. Today everything seemed a little out of synch. It's all starting to fall into place again. Take good care.
I’m so glad to hear that things are righting themselves, Jim. Life is a drunken boat.
thanks for posting that bit from Eliot. just googled Little Gidding. it's full of wondrous lines
My pleasure. The Four Quartets have been among my favorites since I was introduced to them in the 70s.
A beautiful poem. Is there anything more comforting than having someone read to you? Thank you for reading it to us Patti.
We're not aiming here for perfection, we're explorers!.OMG! My new life mantra. Thank you, Patti.
I agree!
Cairo! You both look wonderful and well! Thank you for bringing us on your journeys, Sweet Patti!
Writing about love is hard. Makes it seem easy.
Have a lovely time, Patti. We’ll miss you, which is silly, since you’ll still be checking in and sharing Smithposiums, but it’s so peaceful watching you and Cairo cuddling together. ❤️ Happy travels!
I thoroughly enjoy these explorations
thanks for the PV exploration.
We’re explorers is my new banner!
Loved the poem.
You would really have to be a part of nature itself to feel that poem and if you let yourself go into it, you are, and I got it completely.
Thank you. Have a safe trip, Godspeed
I love to be informed and taught by you, Patti...Have a safe and inspiring trip to Bogata...
So delighted listening to you speak the poem. It evolved as you repeated it, the light on the branches brighter.
Beautiful image, the brightening light on the branches. Thank you.
Lovely to be on your travels with you and with poetry in the air. Thanks. Buen vieja.
I didn’t know William Blake sang his Songs of Innocence. What a wonderful thing to know. From 2019-2022, I wrote music and melodies to some of the songs of innocence and experience, and recorded two EPs worth of material from it. It was a wonderful process, and as you indicate, there isn’t much work to do to get Blake’s songs singing!
Thanks as always for your dedication and care.
Explorers all! Safe travels Patti.
🦋
Your cat is so calming to watch. I enjoyed seeing you evolve your phrasing as you read. Safe travels!
I enjoyed the evolution too!
So grateful for and to you, Patti.
Tonight my head and heart are full, yet I'm still looking forward to the next feast.
Safe travels.
Shimmering mirror 🤍
We're explorers, yes we are.
Have in Bogota. Don't be away for too long, NYC will mss you.
You deeply touch us with explorations. Thank you for your loving vulnerability. Ever expanding and exploring.
Bogota is a fun town. visit the mountain towns around the city. I am sure they will show you how beautiful it is there.