No Hard Feelings by Paul Eluard – translated by Nancy Kline
by Steven McCabe
Tears in the eyes, the sorrows of the sorrowful,
Dull sorrows, dreary tears.
He asks for nothing, he isn’t unfeeling,
He’s sad in prison and sad if he’s free.
The weather is sad, the night so black
You wouldn’t put a blindman out. The strong
Are sitting, the weak hold power
And the king stands near the seated queen.
Smiles and sighs, insults grow rotten
In the mouths of mutes and the eyes of cowards.
Think nothing of it: this burns, that blazes!
Your hands fit in your pockets and against your brow.
A shadow…
All the bad luck in the world
And my love above it
Like a naked beast.
Capital of Pain, Black Widow Press, 2006
translated by Mary Ann Caws, Patricia Terry, Nancy Kline
originally published 1926.
poemimage 
these reds are rich, almost shocking
Hi Pierre, they are even richer in ‘real’ life. If one ‘clicks’ and enlarges the image the red appears closer to the original. I used Golden & also Tri-Art acrylics for this painting. Deep, luscious, vibrant reds. Wanted to go for a colour with passion to balance the text.
It’s full of beauty: the depth of Eluard’s thoughts and your transformation of that into abstract imagery.
Thank you Steven.
I’m very happy Catharina for you having a look at the poem and the images. Yes, Eluard does have a deep, cyclical way of expressing his surrealist concepts, and what his personal antenna is picking up, doesn’t he. As an English-only speaker I can also thank the translation. The sense of loss pervading his wilderness really got to me. Thank you for your thoughts about transformation.
Steven, I am moved by all of your art on this site. As well, I’m moved by the poetry, some of which was translated by my friend Nancy Kline, who mentioned this work to me. As a poet and writer, I’ve often wanted to work collaboratively with a visual artist and/or a composer. Thanks for your inspiring work. I would wish for you other places to show it. I’d like to see it on large walls, for instance.
Michael Carman
Michael thanks for having a look at the site. I appreciate your thoughts on the images.
I’m thrilled Nancy Kline gave me permission to use her translation(s) of the poetry.
There is an energy in collaboration I find that transcends the solo effort. On two levels.
The protagonists. But also between the art forms. I know in a way that seems obvious
but it’s almost more of a 3D way of seeing as opposed to 2D.
It would be an interesting challenge to show this on large walls. I start with ‘native’
materials (finished drawings or paintings) and then go to digital manipulation. My dpi is
fine for online. I’m not completely sure what the specs are for projection on a large surface.
I didn’t know your process. How interesting! (As a technical matter, to the untechnologically savvy–me–I’ve wondered if there’s a way to go backwards on some things: I took hundreds of photos of standing stones in the Orkneys a few years ago with the first digital camera I owned–without realizing I hadn’t set a dpi that would allow me to print. Some wonderful photos I can’t use anywhere but online, I guess.)
Very little is actually obvious, in the sense of obviousness being uninteresting.
Another mutual friend of Nancy’s and mine just looked at your site today, courtesy of Nancy’s notes to us–the friend is a very fine poet–and she said many of the things I did, but more poetically (I’m a poet too). I’m going to see if she’d consider sending you what she wrote to us.
This is really fine work that shouldn’t be limited, by which I mean I’d like others to see it, and I’d like to see it somehow “more” myself, too.
Michael
Steven, I’m somehow reminded of Chris Marker (in seeing this text coupled with these vermillion-bathed image fragments). It is, after all, a montage…and has a narrative, but unlike the cinema or music, both time-based arts, this presentation exists in stark timelessness.
Thanks for that observation Prospero. I’ll have to check out Chris Marker. I must admit I only have the slightest outline
in mind for his work. I’m just contemplating your phrases: Vermillion-bathed image fragments exist in stark
timelessness…it is, after all, a montage…and has a narrative. Your visual and poetic commentary adds to my
experience of the ‘page;’ stepping outside of my experience of being the ‘arranger.’ Thank you.
Steven, La Jetée, as an extension of our discussion, is quite interesting given that it is a film almost entire made up of still shots. This innovative ballet of frozen image and poetic text is similar to your work (without the sound dimension).
Ah, this film. I’ve seen this. Or elements of it. Now I’m cross-referencing it to what poemimage is doing. I see
what you mean. Thanks for this contextualizing. Much food for thought.
L’amoureuse (Capitale de la Douleur, 1923)
Elle est debout sur mes paupières
Et ses cheveux sont dans les miens,
Elle a la forme de mes mains,
Elle a la couleur de mes yeux,
Elle s’engloutit dans mon ombre
Comme une pierre sur le ciel.
Elle a toujours les yeux ouverts
Et ne me laisse pas dormir.
Ses rêves en pleine lumière
Font s’évaporer les soleils
Me font rire, pleurer et rire,
Parler sans avoir rien à dire.
Thank you Michel. I am reading the English translation now.