La Porte

La porte de l’hôtel sourit terriblement

Qu’est-ce que cela peut me fair ô ma maman

D’être cet employé pour qui seul rien n’existe

Pi-mus couples allant dans la profonde eau triste

Anges frais débarqués à Marseille hier matin

J’entends mourir re remourir un chant lointain

Humble comme je suis qui ne suis rien qui vaille

Enfant je t’ai donné ce que j’avais travaille

Guillaume Apollinaire, 1912

Though rewarding, Apollinaire’s poems are always a challenge, especially for those without native French. As well, he never uses punctuation. This enables him, among other things, to make his verse more difficult –a technique that is usually associated with Russian formalism. And this poem, La Porte, really challenged me with its last line: For a long time I thought the last word (travaille) should be “travaillé” to tie in with “j’avais.” But no. The one space after “j’avais” is actually a sentence break—a period is understood, according to Apollinaire’s method.

Here is my translation. I have used punctuation:

The Door

The hotel door smiles terribly.

Oh my mother, what can that do to me, 

To be this employee for whom alone nothing exists?

Pi-mus entering the sad deep water in couples.

Fresh angels unloaded at Marseille this morning.

I hear a distant song die and die again.

I am humble since I am worthless.

Child, I gave you what I had. Go and work.

And here is a literal translation without punctuation:

The Door

The door of the hotel smiles terribly

What can that do to me o my mother 

To be this employee for whom alone nothing exists

Pi-mus couples entering the deep sad water

Fresh angels disembarked at Marseille yesterday morning

I hear a distant song die and die again

Humble as I am who am nothing of value

Child I have given you what I had work

Notes

There is a variety of French critical comment on this poem. The first seven lines are spoken by a young son confronting his future; the last line is “maman’s reply. 

--“pi-mus” is a legendary Chinese fish that has only one eye and thus needs to swim in     pairs.

--“anges” are a Mediterranean fish. 

The distant song heard by the son suggests the possibility of a career in poetry.