Preening

Du kan have erfaringer fra mine stillinger at jeg lære fransk eller, mere præcist, at jeg er indskrevet på fransk klasser. Hvorvidt der er sket nogen læring er endnu uvist. heldigvis finder jeg en af de bedste former for undervisning er at læse fransk poesi . (jeg mener, hvad ved du det fra?) Her er et digt fra en af mine foretrukne forfattere, Raymond Queneau . Se hvad du kan forstå (oversættelse nedenfor). (Og det hjælper at læse den oprindelige højt med en rhee-di-kuh-nis Frauench aghsennt .)

? L? esp? humaine?

L? Esp? humaine m? En Donn?br /> le droit d? ?re mortel
le devoir d? ?re civilis?br /> la samvittighed humaine
Deux yeux qui d? Ailleurs ne fonctionnent Pas TR? bien
le nez au miljøer du VISAGE
Deux pieds Deux lysnettet
le langage
l? esp? humaine m? en Donn?br /> man P?E et ma m?
Peut-?e des Fr?s på ne sej
des fætre ?ellet?
et des arri?-grands-Peres
l? esp? humaine m? en Donn?br /> SES trois facult?
le følelse l? efterretninger et la volont?br /> Hver valgte de fa? mod?e
l? esp? humaine m? en Donn?br /> Trente-Deux buler FN c? ur un foie
d? autres visc?s et Dix doigts
l? esp? humaine m? en Donn?br /> DE QUOI se frygtelige satisfait

" Menneske Art "

Den menneskelige arter har givet mig
the right to be mortal

the duty to be civilized

a conscience

2 eyes that don't always function very well

a nose in the middle of my face

2 feet 2 hands

speech

the human species has given me

my father and mother

some brothers maybe who knows

a whole mess of cousins

and some great-grandfathers

the human species has given me

its 3 faculties

feeling intellect and will

each in moderation

32 teeth 10 fingers a liver

a heart and some other viscera

the human species has given me

what I 'm supposed to be satisfied with

--translated by Teo Savory (The Random House Book of Twentieth Century French Poetry, edited by Paul Auster, 1984)

Now may be an opportune moment to mention exactly how I feel about the book above.  Go buy it!  The introduction is fantastic.  The translations were all crafted by leading literary figures of the 20th century.  The original poems are by the most impeccable French poets.  Plus the books looks tr?moderne, so people will think you are wicked smart.  That may not have been exactly how I feel, but it dances near enough to the truth.