Paul de Roux 1937–
nîmes, france
D
e Roux is a poet, translator, freelance writer, and editor in Paris. His
work is based on the quotidian, a preference for the daily being
central to contemporary French poetry. De Roux founded the jour-nal La Traverse (1969–1974). Principal works: Entrevoir, 1980; Les Pas, 1984; Le
Front contre la vitre, 1987; Poèmes des saisons, 1989; Poèmes de l’aube, 1990; La
Halte obscure, 1993; Le Soleil dans l’oeil, 1998; Allers retours: Poèmes, 2002.
The Day’s Labor
As if it were us the day were hauling
so painfully in the early hours of the morning,
as if the day labored in us
more even than in the fog, and the breeze
which shakes the leaves
and sweeps a flight of pigeons across the whole sky
could not revive the landscape in us
still vowed to darkness and petrifaction,
and beyond the panes the world
is merely a heavy grey burden
which we have to shoulder and carry
tripping on every obstacle
eyes turned from the sky and open spaces.
—stephen romer
The Cold Again
Poplars shaken in the cold wind,
in a low, curtailed light,
the earth withdrawn into itself,
a few dull leaves on the birch;
a remote train passes,
conveying the coldness of iron,
and the station with its icy winds