The "Tender Gesture" of Georges Perros and the Lessons of Contemporary French Poetry

Abstract

ince upon a time, American (and British and Irish) poets read French poetry in the original; or at least desired to do so, even if they could not really understand the language. Or am I wrong? In any case, such was one linguistic and poetic duty passed on-the debts and borrowings go back to Chaucer-by Pound and Eliot, however quaint some of their likes and dislikes seem today. These two modernists and several other expatriates, as well as others who stayed at home, enjoyed this profitable partnership, the Anglo-Americans taking both poetic forms and encouragement (with respect to certain kinds of subject matter) from the French, and-a little less often-vice versa. This being said, I have the impression that a gulf between American and French poetry has opened, indeed widened considerably over the past three or four decades-especially from the American standpoint. An American poet might peruse a translated volume or two by Yves Bonnefoy or Philippe Jaccottet (and let us hope that curious readers have unearthed the recent British version of Jacques Reda' s invigorating Les Ruines de Paris, or a much earlier American rendering of Jacques Roubaud's poignant Quelque chose noir), but it is doubtful that Americans who are not also book-sleuths and avid journal-browsers have even heard of Andre du Bouchet, Lorand Gaspar, Charles Juliet, Silvia Baron Supervielle, or