L'après-midi d'vn favne - after Stéphane Mallarmé

Stéphane Mallarmé

scintillating flowers  closely cut
in hollow reeds,
a talent on show, a distant glow:
of green gold flickers on an animal wildness
of whiteness, as a prelude to virginity
uilleann pipes play softly
whosh! above a flight of swans,
naiads and nymphs cower
at this tawny hour, 
at a hymnal of infected poetry, a  primal fever
cradled in evocative text,
squeezing words into an enchanting blend,
of provocation and bold deception,
world without end..  

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◄ Tongue-tied at the sea-side

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Uilleam Ó Ceallaigh

Wed 6th Mar 2024 09:17

Thanks John,
I know little about Mallarmé’s poetry; except that he appears to be -or was- regarded as the greatest French poet.

I like your imagery, and I must say I’m intrigued by your reference to the “Irish bagpipes” whose sound, together with that of the Northumbrian smallpipes, I love.
Debussy’s composition based on that poem is an absolute delight. It appears Mallarmé at first resented the music being based on his poem, but on hearing it, regarded it as a complement to his poem.

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