Fairy Tale | A poem by Robert Desnos, 1900-1945

1
Robert2BDesnos

Many times upon a time
There was a man who loved a woman.
Many times upon a time
There was a woman who loved a man.
Many times upon a time
There was a man and there was a woman
Who did not love the ones who loved them.

Once upon a time
Perhaps only once
A man and a woman who loved each other.

Robert Desnos, Fairy Tale
.
< Robert Desnos, Paris, 1940


Also:

1 thought on “Fairy Tale | A poem by Robert Desnos, 1900-1945

  1. I Have Dreamed Of You So Much

    I have dreamed of you so much that you are no longer real.
    Is there still time for me to reach your breathing body, to kiss your mouth and make
    your dear voice come alive again?

    I have dreamed of you so much that my arms, grown used to being crossed on my
    chest as I hugged your shadow, would perhaps not bend to the shape of your body.
    For faced with the real form of what has haunted me and governed me for so many
    days and years, I would surely become a shadow.

    O scales of feeling.

    I have dreamed of you so much that surely there is no more time for me to wake up.
    I sleep on my feet prey to all the forms of life and love, and you, the only one who
    counts for me today, I can no more touch your face and lips than touch the lips and
    face of some passerby.

    I have dreamed of you so much, have walked so much, talked so much, slept so much
    with your phantom, that perhaps the only thing left for me is to become a phantom
    among phantoms, a shadow a hundred times more shadow than the shadow the
    moves and goes on moving, brightly, over the sundial of your life.

    Robert Desnos/ J’ai tant rêvé de toi / 1926 / Corps et biens / 1930

    'J'ai tant rêvé de toi' is one of seven poems composed in 1926
    and addressed 'À la mystérieuse'. They were inspired by Yvonne
    Georges music hall singer who died of tuberculosis in 1930,
    at the age of 33, just before the publication in May.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUrKE2OxWtM
    Yvonne George / Pars / 1928

    .

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *