The Yale Anthology of Twentieth-Century French Poetry

Pierre Reverdy 1889–1960

narbonne, france

R

everdy, considered a Cubist poet, along with Apollinaire and Max

Jacob, inspired the Surrealist movement and its leaders, in particular

through his theory of the image as constituted by two elements from

widely di√ering fields, forming a vitalizing explosion upon their meeting. He

moved from his native Narbonne to Paris in 1910. In 1917 he founded the jour-

nal Nord-Sud, which attracted such contributors as Apollinaire, Jacob, Aragon,

Breton, Soupault, and Tzara. Reverdy also wrote for the literary reviews Littéra-

ture and Sic. In 1926 he moved with his wife to the abbey at Solesmes but

frequently returned to Paris. His prose poems have had an extraordinary influ-

ence on poets from his time to ours. Principal works: Poèmes en prose, 1915; La

Lucarne ovale, 1916; Les Ardoises du toit, 1918; Les Jockeys camouflés, 1918; La

Guitare endormie, 1919; Étoiles peintes, 1921; Les Épaves du ciel, 1924; Grande

nature, 1925; La Balle au bond, 1928; Flaques de verre, 1929; Sources du vent, 1929;

Pierres blanches, 1930; Ferraille, 1937; Plein verre, 1940; Le Chant des morts, 1948;

Au soleil du plafond, 1955; La Liberté des mers, 1959; Sable mouvant, 1966.

In the Fields or on the Hill

No
Historical figure
And there the sun was coming to a stop
It was a man passing by
His horse so thin
Not the slightest shadow followed

The snow would be enormous
A few steps away and everything was white

Over all the animals who died of cold
Between the trees and the sea
Quick lapping water
The bitter sky
Left alone between the peasants and the moon