For The Moment

Life is simple and gay

The bright sun rings with a quiet sound

The sound of the bells has quieted down

This morning the light hits it all

The footlights of my head are lit again

And the room I live in is finally bright

Just one beam is enough

Just one burst of laughter

My joy that shakes the house

Restrains those wanting to die

By the notes of its song

I sing off-key

Ah it’s funny

My mouth open to every breeze

Spews mad notes everywhere

That emerge I don’t know how

To fly toward other ears

Listen I’m not crazy

I laugh at the bottom of the stairs

Before the wide-open door

In the sunlight scattered

On the wall among green vines

And my arms are held out toward you

It’s today I love you

Translated by Kenneth Rexroth This poem appeared in Selected Poems by Pierre Reverdy, translated by Kenneth Rexroth, published by New Directions, 1969. Shared here with profound gratitude. (NOTE: This is the only translation that I am familiar with, although I found in my research that it is also attributed to Ron Padgett (his translation), which appears in The Random House Book of 20th Century French Poetry, edited by Paul Auster, published by Vintage, 1984.)

źródło: Read A Little Poetry

10.09.2026

@pierre-reverdy

For The Moment

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