The Yale Anthology of Twentieth-Century French Poetry

Jean Follain 1903–1971

canisy, france

T

hrough his poetry and prose, Follain explored the menace of time—the

pressure of history upon the moment and the pressure of mortality

upon the individual. He was particularly known for his celebration of

the everyday object, in poems generally brief. Follain studied law in Caen and

then moved to Paris to work as a lawyer. There he formed close friendships with

Max Jacob and André Salmon. In 1928 his poetry began appearing in reviews and

winning prizes, including the Grand Prix de Poésie de l’Académie Française. He

died in a car accident in Paris. Principal works: La Main chaude, 1933; Le Gant

rouge, 1936; Chants terrestres, 1937; L’Épicerie d’enfance, 1938; Inventaire, 1942;

Exister, 1947; Territoires, 1953; Objets, 1955; Tout instant, 1957; Des heures, 1960;

Pour exister encore, 1972; Falloir vivre, 1976; Le Pain et la boulange, 1977; Présent

jour, 1978.

Eclogue

In the closed house
he fixes on an object in the evening
and plays at that game of existing
a fruit trembles
at the end of the orchard
ruins of pompous fashions
hung with the lacework
of the dead
float a scarecrow in the tree
that groans in the wind
but on a blasted oak
the bird is not afraid to sing
an old man has put his hand
on a young heart
pledged to obedience.
—stephen romer