ART POÉTIQUE (poem) - Jacques Roubaud - France

ART POÉTIQUE

              Ce que disait le poème, je l’ai oublié
              J’ai su ce que disait ce poème, mais je l’ai oublié
              Le poème disait cela, mais cela que disait le poème, je
l’ai oublié
              Que le poème disait cela, est-ce cela que disait le
poème? Si c’est cela que disait le poème, je l’ai oublié
            Peut-être, sans savoir ce que disait le poème, alors que
je disais le poème, (au temps où je disais le poème), déjà je
l’avais oublié
             mais si c’est cela que disait le poème, je l’ai oublié
           Maintenant, quand je dis ce poème, je ne sais pas si je
dis ce poème,
             puisque ce que disait ce poème, je l’ai oublié
           C’est pourquoi ce que dit ce poème n’est plus vraiment
ce que disait le poème
           et que j’ai oublié

ART POÉTIQUE

               What the poem was saying, I’ve forgotten
               I had known what the poem was saying, but I’ve
forgotten
               The poem was saying this, but this that the poem was
saying, I’ve forgotten
               That the poem was saying this, is this what the poem was
saying? If that’s what the poem was saying, I’ve forgotten
               Perhaps, without knowing what the poem was saying, as
I was saying the poem, (in the moment I stated the poem), I had
already forgotten
               Yet, if that’s what the poem was saying, I’ve forgotten
               Now, when I say this poem, I don’t know if I am saying
this poem,
               because what the poem was saying, I’ve forgotten
               That’s why what this poem is saying is no longer really
what the poem was saying
               and that I’ve forgotten