The sections in this next book, To the Quick,
are marked by translations from a French poems of Rilke.
I was just mentioning to Lois at dinner that I
was on the verge of learning German for Rilke,
and then I found out there were these 300 poems he wrote
in French just before he died.
And fortunately too, Al Poulin has been putting out
editions in which the originals are there, so you
have those available now.
It wasn't the case a few years ago.
I sort of happened on them by leaning in a library by mistake
one day.
And seeing a book that had no titles
on its line, such an oddity, right.
But I was immediately attracted, and opened it up
and found all these, the ones in the French,
which are extraordinary poems.
And I wanted to share them with people,
so started translating them.
And there's one:
Mon amie, il faut que je parte.
Voulez vous voir l'endroit sur la carte?
C'est un point noir.
En moi, si tout bien me réussit,
ce sera un point rose dans un vert pays.
My friend, I must leave you.
Do you want to see the place on a map?
It's a black dot.
Inside myself, if things all go as planned,
it will become a point of rose in a green land.
A cruel note to leave, don't you think?
I mean, there are other poems for which
Rilke could get honorary womanhood,
but this is not one of them, especially since--
[LAUGHTER]
--since mon amie is distinctly in the feminine in French.
You don't know that in English, but it's quite clear in French.
Doctor Johnson said, "A man is in general better pleased when
he has a good dinner on his table than when his wife talks
Greek."
[LAUGHTER]
Why do we fall in love?
The trouble within.
Now, this is by way of introducing my weakness, which
is a lot of love poems.
There's a wonderful thing from Chekhov too.
He says that-- this is a great analogy.
I love it.
It's so strange.
He says, "A sudden and ill-timed love affair
may be compared to this."
Now, this is a English translation.
You'll recognize immediately that Chekhov
couldn't have said this.
But this is what he says.
"It could be compared to a sudden and ill-timed love
affair.
May be compared to this.
You take boys for a walk.
The walk is jolly and interesting.
And suddenly one of them gorges himself with oil paint."
[LAUGHTER]
I love that as an analogy for a sudden ill-timed love affair.
[LAUGHTER]
Strange man.
[LAUGHTER]