On the next day, the Bird of Benin, Tristouse, the Prince of Poets and his little friend came back to the statue which was heaped up with earth which they had gathered here and there, and at nightfall they planted a fine laurel tree, while Tristouse Ballerinette danced and sang:
No one loves thee thou art lying
Palantila Mila Mima
When he was lover to the queen
He was king while she was queen
'Tis true, 'tis true that I love him
Croniamantal way down in the pit
Can that be right
Let us gather the sweet marjoram
At night.
THE END
[NOTES]
[1]The French language at the end of the nineteenth century had reached a certain fixation, chiefly through the influence of Mallarmé, whose literary artifice was consternating. Apollinaire, a bizarre scholar, and yet a "lord of language," was more of a freebooter. Many of his exoticisms came from the market-place or from other tongues. Their sources were fair and false. But at bottom, there is the sincere desire to free modern literature from romantic sentiment, and artifice, to use words as directly and freely as in conversation.
[2]Here Apollinaire's frivolous playing with the language can scarcely be rendered. The original runs: "...en me réfugiant dans mon ou ma 'bedroom' du ou de la 'family house' ou j'étais descendue."
[3]Among these towns we may cite, Naples, Adrianople, Constantinople, Neauphle le-Chateau, Grenoble, Pultawa, Pouilly-en-Auxois, Pouilly-les-Fours, Nauplie, Seoul, Melbourne, Oran, Nazareth, Ermenonville, Nogent-sur-Marne, etc.
[4]Wilhelm de Kostrowitzki was baptized in Rome, September 29, 1880, at the Sacrosancta Patriarcalis Basilica Santa Mariae Maioris. His father is said to have been a high prelate of the Catholic Church.
[5]"Let the seven countries and four continents dispute the honor of his birthplace"—Mme de Kostrowitzka (who had never opened but one of his books, and found that "idiotic") exclaimed one day: "O Poland, thou wilt remember thy great son!"