RETOUCHE À L’EXAMEN DE CONSCIENCE
Les miroirs en vis-à-vis
font des discours à l’infini
***
RETOUCHE À UNE HISTOIRE
du puits bordé de mots
fais à ta mort
un tombeau
***
RETOUCHE À LA SIESTE
Le chien regarde son maître
le maître la fenêtre
et la fenêtre un arbre
où les oiseaux font les mouvements de l’eau
Translator’s Glossary
|
WORD
|
DEFINITION
|
POSSIBLE SYNONYMS
|
|---|---|---|
| à (prep.) | as far as, in the direction of | for, at, to |
| arbre (n.) | a plant with branches, roots, and usually leaves | tree |
| bordé (adj.) | surrounding the outer edge of something | lined, rimmed, bordered, edged, framed |
| chien (n.) | a furry animal with four legs and a tail | dog, hound, mutt |
| conscience (n.) | the ability to decide between right and wrong; knowledge of the self | conscience, self-awareness, sense of right and wrong |
| de (prep.) | a connecting word used to describe a part of something | of, with |
| des (adj.) | a word used to describe parts but not all of something | some, a few, a little, a quantity of, a number of |
| discours (n.) | a conversation with multiple points of view, or a talk with one point of view | discussions, conversations, speeches, dialogue, debates, talk, words |
| du (prep. + art.) | a connecting word used to describe a part of something | of the, from the |
| en vis-à-vis (adj.) | an idiomatic expression that communicates the idea of directly facing someone | facing each other, face-to-face |
| et (conj.) | plus, along with | and, in addition to, as well as |
| fais (v.) | from the verb faire—meaning “to do” or “to make” | make, create, build, formulate, craft |
| fenêtre (n.) | a large opening in a wall or door, usually covered with glass | window |
| font (v.) | From the verb faire—meaning “to do” or “to make” | do, make, create, build, formulate, craft |
| histoire (n.) | the past; or the telling of events, sometimes made up | story, tale, history, narrative, account, yarn, legend, chronicle, fib, invention |
| l’eau (n.) | a clear liquid | water |
| l’examen (n.) | a method used to find out the ability or quality of something | test, the examination |
| l’infini (n.) | anything that is endless | infinity, the infinite, endlessness, the unlimited, the inestimable |
| le, la, les (art.) | articles used before a noun | the |
| maître (n.) | a person who owns something | master, owner, proprietor, holder, possessor |
| miroirs (n.) | glass surfaces that reflect images | mirrors |
| mort (n.) | the end of life | death, doom, demise, destruction |
| mots (n.) | the pieces that make up language and express meaning | words, utterances, expressions |
| mouvements (n.) | the opposite of stillness | movements, gestures, shifting, stirring |
| oiseaux (n.) | animals that have wings, lay eggs, and usually can fly | birds |
| où (prep.) | the position of something | where, wherever, anywhere |
| poèmes (n.) | pieces of writing that have figurative language and are written in separate lines | poems, compositions, lines |
| puits (n.) | a hole in the ground filled with water | well, wellspring |
| regarde (v.) | from the verb regarder—meaning “to look at” | looks at, watches, observes, views, scrutinizes, examines |
| retouche (n.) | a revised edition or form of something | correction, amendment, modification, revision, reconsideration |
| sieste (n.) | a short period of rest or sleep | nap, siesta, catnap, rest |
| son (poss. adj.) | belonging to someone | his, her, its |
| ta (poss. adj.) | belonging to the person being spoken to | your |
| tombeau (n.) | an engraved stone used to mark a grave | tombstone, gravestone, headstone |
| un, une (art.) | words used before a noun to distinguish one particular thing from many | a, an, one |
Artistic Elements
I. About Free Verse
• Free verse is a literary device that can be defined as poetry that is free from
limitations of regular meter or rhythm and does not rhyme with fixed forms. Such
poems are without rhythms and rhyme schemes; do not follow regular rhyme
scheme rules and still provide artistic expression. In this way, the poet can give his
own shape to a poem how he/she desires. However, it still allows poets to use
alliteration, rhyme, cadences or rhythms to get the effects that they consider are
suitable for the piece.
Bio
Daniel Boulanger was born in Compiègne, France. He was a poet, writer, playwright, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter. During World War II, Boulanger joined the French Resistance in order to fight against the invading Nazis. After the war, he decided to leave France. He spent several years traveling to far-off places, such as Brazil, Chad, and Bulgaria. When he returned to France, he began his career as a writer.