Beginning and End of the Snow

Yves Bonnefoy is often described as the greatest French post-war poet. Trained as a philosopher, he is also an essayist, literary critic and art historian. In 1981, he succeeded Roland Barthes at the Collège de France in Paris. He is the author of ten books of poetry, most recently L’heure présente, as well as numerous works on art, history and poetry. His many honors include Canada’s Griffin Poetry Prize (2011).Emily Grosholz is Liberal Arts Research Professor of Philosophy at the Pennsylvania State University, and a member of the research group REHELS / SPHERE at the University of Paris Denis Diderot. She is the author of six books of poetry (including Leaves / Feuilles with Farhad Ostovani) and an advisory editor for the Hudson Review.

This outwardly slight, paperbound volume opens to reveal an uncommon abundance: a series of exquisite poems by one of the most important poets in France today deftly rendered into English by a poet known for her delicate touch; an eloquent essay by Yves Bonnefoy himself, demonstrating his skill as a literary critic as well as a poet; and a charmingly direct meditation by the translator, Emily Grosholz, about her effort to create English equivalents of two Bonnefoy poems. As if that weren’t enough, there is the further pleasure of beautiful visual art in the evocative drawings of Iranian artist Farhad Ostovani that accompany the text.

• AcknowledgmentsPreface“Snow in French and English” Yves BonnefoyTranslated by Emily Grosholz Début et fin de la neige/ Beginning and End of the SnowLa grande neige / The Great Snowfall Première neige tôt ce matin / First snowfall, early this morning Le miroir / The Mirror La charrue / The Plough Le peu d’eau / Spot of Water Neige / Snow La Vierge de miséricorde /Our Lady of Mercy Le jardin / The Garden Les pommes / The Apples L’été encore / Still Summer On dirait beaucoup d’e muets /One might say, a flurry of silent e’s Flocons / Snowflakes De natura rerum / De Natura Rerum La parure / The Gown Noli me tangere / Noli Me Tangere Juste avant l’aube / Just Before Dawn Les Flambeaux / The Torches Hopkins Forest / Hopkins Forest Le Tout, Le Rien / Everything, Nothing La Seule Rose / The Only Rose Là où retombe la flèche / Where the Arrow Falls Afterword “Song, Rain, Snow: Translating thePoetry of Yves Bonnefoy,”Emily Grosholz