Jean Cocteau

 Homage to Eric Satie

Mrs. Henri Rousseau 
rises in a tethered balloon
She holds a shrub 
And the customs officer Rousseau 
drinks his aperitif 

The aloe swollen with moon 
And the armchair tree
And that nice suit 
And the beautiful moon [shining] 
On the beautiful leaves 
The African lion
His stomach as big as a sack
At the foot of the Republic 
The lion of Africa 
Devours the carriage horse

The moon enters the flute 
Of the dark snake-charmer
Yadwigha, while asleep, listens
And out of the sweet flute comes 
A pear-shaped bit.

Authorship

•  Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2016 by Laura Prichard, (re)printed on this