Le Vase Brisé (The Broken Vase)
by Sully Prudhomme
Le Pichon describes how his mother taught him a version of this lovely poem. So, we commissioned a new English translation for you, and asked a Québécois poet to recite the poem in French and English. Listen along, and compare to Le Pichon's memorized version.
Le Vase Brisé
Le vase où meurt cette vervaine D'un coup d'éventail fut fêlé; Le coup dut l'effleurer à peine, Aucun bruit ne l'a révélé. Mais la légère meurtrissure, Mordant le cristal chaque jour, D'une marche invisible et sûre En a fait lentement le tour. Son eau fraîche a fui goutte à goutte, Le suc des fleurs s'est épuisé; Personne encore ne s'en doute, N'y touchez pas, il est brisé. Souvent aussi la main qu'on aime Effleurant le coeur, le meurtrit; Puis le coeur se fend de lui-même, La fleur de son amour périt; Toujours intact aux yeux du monde, Il sent croître et pleurer tout bas Sa blessure fine et profonde: Il est brisé, n'y touchez pas.The Broken Vase
The vase where this verbena’s dying Was cracked by a lady’s fan’s soft blow. It must have been the merest grazing: We heard no sound. The fissure grew. The little wound spread while we slept, Pried deep in the crystal, bit by bit. A long, slow marching line, it crept From spreading base to curving lip. The water oozed out drop by drop, Bled from the line we’d not seen etched. The flowers drained out all their sap. The vase is broken: do not touch. The quick, sleek hand of one we love Can tap us with a fan’s soft blow, And we will break, as surely riven As that cracked vase. And no one knows. The world sees just the hard, curved surface Of a vase a lady’s fan once grazed, That slowly drips and bleeds with sadness. Do not touch the broken vase.("Le Vase Brisé" by René François Armand Sully-Prudhomme (1839-1907). Translation from French to English © 2009 by Robert Archambeau. Translation commissioned by the Poetry Radio Project, a collaboration between American Public Media and the Poetry Foundation. Used with permission of Robert Archambeau. Poetry read by Jean-Luc Garneau.)
Find more poetry from Speaking of Faith on the Poetry Radio Project page.