Poems of Andre Breton

Translator Jean-Pierre Cauvin is Professor of French at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written several books and numerous articles on topics including French poetry to Surrealism. Mary Ann Caws is Distinguished Professor of English, French, and Comparative Literature at The City University of New York. She is the author, translator, and editor of numerous books on the major figures of Surrealism, including Andre Breton. Authors reside in Austin, TX and New York City.

Nearly perfect... a boon to American students of surrealism and of poetry as well... -- Serge Gavronsky

• 1 Preface: In the Surrealist Light: Andre Breton, Mary Ann Caws 2 Introduction: The Poethics of Andre Breton, Jean-Pierre Cauvin 3 FROM MONT DE PIETE (1919) 4 Age [Age] 5 Pour Lafcadio [For Lafcadio] 6 Monsieur V [Monsieur V] 7 Une Maison peu solide [An Unsteady House] 8 Le Corset Mystere [The Mystery Corset] 9 FROM CLAIR DE TERRE (1923) 10 Amour parchemine [Love in Parchment] 11 Cartes sur les dunes [Cards on the Dunes] 12 C'est aussi le bagne ... " [It too is the penitentiary ... 13 Rendez-vous [Rendez-vous] 14 Prive [Private] 15 Le Buvard de cendre [Cinder Blotter] 16 Tout paradis n'est pas perdu [No Paradise Is Lost] 17 Silhouette de paille [Straw Silhouette] 18 Mille et mille fois [A Thousand Times and More] 19 Ligne brisee [Broken Line] 20 Tournesol [Sunfl ower] 21 FROM POISSON SOLUBLE 22 " Moins de temps ... " [Less time ..."] 23 " Sale nuit, nuit de fl eurs ... " [Night of fi lth, night of fl owers ..."] 24 " On s'est avise ... " [One day someone ..."] 25 " Il y avait ... " [There was once ..."] 26 L'UNION LIBRE (1931) 27 L'Union libre [Free Union] 28 FROM LE REVOLVER A CHEVEUX BLANCS (1932) 29 Non-lieu [No Grounds] 30 Le Verbe etre [The Verb To Be] 31 La Foret dans la hache [The Forest in the Axe] 32 Toutes les ecolieres ensemble [All the Schoolgirls Together] 33 Noeud des miroirs [Knot of Mirrors] 34 Facteur Cheval [Postman Cheval] 35 Rideau rideau [Curtain Curtain] 36 Le Sphinx vertebral [The Vertebral Sphinx] 37 Vigilance [Vigilance] 38 Sans connaissance [Unconscious] 39 Une Branche d'ortie entre par la fenetre [A Stalk of Nettle Enters through the Window] 40 Le Grand Secours meurtrier [Deadly Rescue] 41 FROM L'AIR DE L'EAU (1934) 42 " Monde dans un baiser " [World in a kiss"] 43 " Je reve je te vois ... " [Dreaming I see you ..."] 44 " Le Marquis de Sade a regagne l'interieur ... "[The Marquis de Sade has gone back inside ..."] 45 Au beau demi-jour [In the lovely twilight] 46 " Yeux zinzolins ..." [Zinnia-red eyes ..."] 47 " Il allait etre cinq heures du matin "[It was about to be fi ve in the morning"] 48 " Ils vont tes membres ... " [Your limbs go unfolding ..."] 49 " A ta place ... " [If I were you ..."] 50 " Toujours pour la premiere fois " [Always for the fi rst time"] 51 On me dit [They tell me] 52 FROM 1935-1940 (in Poemes, 1948) 53 Monde [World] 54 Le Puits enchante [The Enchanted Well] 55 Cours-les toutes [Run-them-all] 56 Quels apprets [What Frills] 57 FATA MORGANA (1940) 58 Fata Morgana [Fata Morgana] 59 FROM 1940-1943 (in Poemes, 1948) 60 Froleuse [Flirt] 61 Passage a niveau [Grade Crossing] 62 Premiers transparents [Transparent Firsts] 63 Plus que suspect [More than Suspect] 64 Interieur [Interior] 65 Guerre [War] 66 FROM LES ETATS GENERAUX (1948) 67 " Dis ce qui est dessous ... " [Say what is underneath ..."] 68 FROM DES EPINGLES TREMBLANTES (1948) 69 La Lanterne sourde [The Dark Lantern] 70 FROM XENOPHILES (1948) 71 " La nuit en Haiti ... " [In Haiti at night ..."] 72 Korwar [Korwar] 73 Uli [Uli] 74 Dukduk [Dukduk] 75 Tiki [Tiki] 76 Rano Raraku [Rano Raraku] 77 FROM OUBLIES (1948) 78 Ecoute au coquillage [Seashell Sail] 79 Sur la route de San Romano [On the Road to San Romano] 80 FROM CONSTELLATIONS (1959) 81 Personnages dans la nuit guides par les tracesphosphorescentes des escargots [Persons in the Night Guided by Phosphorescent Snail Tracks] 82 Femmes sur la plage [Women on the Beach] 83 Femme a la blonde aisselle coiffant sa chevelure ala lueur des etoiles [Woman with Blond UnderarmCombing Her Hair in the Starlight] 84 L'Etoile matinale [Morning Star] 85 Personnage blesse [Injured Person] 86 Le Chant du rossignol a minuit et la pluie matinale[The Song of the Nightingale at Midnight andthe Morning Rain] 87 Le Reveil au petit jour [The Awakening at Daybreak] 88 Femmes au bord d'un lac a la surface irisee par lepassage d'un cygne [Women by the Shore of aLake Made Iridescent by a Passing Swan] 89 Le Bel Oiseau dechiffrant l'inconnu au couple d'amoureux[The Lovely Bird Deciphering the Unknown for aPair of Lovers] 90 FROM LE LA (1961) 91 " La 'dictee de la pensee' ... " [The experience (active-passive)of listening ..."] 92 Notes 93 Notes on the Poems 94 The Life and Works of Andre Breton 95 Selected Bibliography