One more translation: Mirabeau Bridge (Le pont Mirabeau)
Apollinaire's most translated poem
The most obvious problem with translating “Le pont Mirabeau” is that it’s already been done to death. The French know it by heart. Its structure is ideal for a song, so it has been set many times to music. (Even by the Pogues!) There seems little need for another go.
The deeper problem is probably related to the first, in that it is a relatively short poem, with a structure of many internal rhymes. It would take true dedication to commit “Zone” to memory, but “Le pont Mirabeau” is a cinch, since it is practically Dr. Seussian in its rhyming insistence. But it gives a translator, who relies heavily on the gods of coincidence, little wiggle room.
Miraculously, a recording exists of Apollinaire himself reading it aloud in his early-20th century Parisian accent. (No trace, Luca says, of a foreign one.)
Because I dove into this with no understanding of the problems involved, I failed to stop myself trying until it was too late.
I cannot say whether mine is better, or whether you could sing it. But it fixes some things which dissatisfied me in previous translations, while introducing new problems to annoy the author of the next. While other translators have allowed themselves more license, my goal was to be as faithful as possible to the sense while adhering to a fairly rigid meter and keeping the rhyme scheme, with hopes of not sounding too academic.
Structured like a song with verses and a refrain, “Mirabeau Bridge” expresses the thoughts of a despondent lover who stands every day on this bridge, staring down at the water, hoping his love will return: a painful and monotonous hobby that I do not recommend unless you are a poet and also the bridge has safety nets. The imagery of incessantly moving water contrasts with the inability of the speaker to move on.
The original can be found here (but the spacing is wrong).
Someone (who are you? thank you) has collected various English translations here.
I’ve decided to make these poems free to read, so that more English-language readers can get to know Apollinaire. If you’d like to support my work, consider a paid subscription.