Jacques Prévert

Jacques Prévert HOME
Jacques Prévert Selected poems Breakfast He poured the coffee Into the cup He put the milk Into the cup of coffee He put the sugar Into the coffee with milk With a small spoon He churned He drank the coffee And he put down the cup Without any word to me He lit One cigarette He made circles With the smoke He shook off the ash Into the ashtray Without any word to me Without any look at me He got up He put on His hat on his head He put on His raincoat Because it was raining And he left Into the rain Without any word to me Without any look at me And I buried My face in my hands And I cried. Paris at night Three matches one by one struck in the night The first to see your face in its entirety The second to see your eyes The last to see your mouth And the darkness all around to remind me of all these As I hold you in my arms. For you my love For you, my love I went to a bird market And I bought a bird For you My love I went to a flower market And I bought a flower For you My love I went to a junk market And I bought a chain A heavey chain For you My love And I went to a slave market And I searched for you But I couldn't find you anywhere My love This Love This love So violent So fragile So tender So hopeless This love Beautiful as the day And bad as the weather When the weather is bad This love so true This love so beautiful So happy So joyous And so pathetic Trembling with fear like a child in the dark And so sure of itself Like a tranquil man in the middle of the night This love that made others afraid That made them speak That made them go pale This love intently watched Because we intently watch it Run down hurt trampled finished denied forgotten Because we ran it down hurt it trampled it finished it denied it forgot it This whole entire love Still so lively And so sunny It's yours It's mine That which has been This always new thing And which hasn't changed As true as a plant As trembling as a bird As warm as live as summer We can both of us Come and go We can forget And then go back to sleep Wake up suffer grow old Go back to sleep again Awake smile and laugh And feel younger Our love stays there Stubborn as an ass Lively as desire Cruel as memory Foolish as regrets Tender as remembrance Cold as marble Beautiful as day Fragile as a child It watches us, smiling And it speaks to us without saying a word And me I listen to it, trembling And I cry out I cry out for you I cry out for me I beg you For you for me for all who love each other And who loved each other Yes I cry out to it For you for me and for all the others That I don't know Stay there There where you are There where you were in the past Stay there Don't move Don't go away We who loved each other We've forgotten you Don't forget us We had only you on the earth Don't let us become cold Always so much farther away And anywhere Give us a sign of life Much later on a dark night In the forest of memory Appear suddenly Alicante An orange upon the table Your dress on the rug And you in my bed Sweet present of the present Freshness of the night Warmth of my life

Jacques Prévert

Selected poems

Breakfast

He poured the coffee
Into the cup
He put the milk
Into the cup of coffee
He put the sugar
Into the coffee with milk
With a small spoon
He churned
He drank the coffee
And he put down the cup
Without any word to me
He lit
One cigarette
He made circles
With the smoke
He shook off the ash
Into the ashtray
Without any word to me
Without any look at me
He got up
He put on
His hat on his head
He put on
His raincoat
Because it was raining
And he left
Into the rain
Without any word to me
Without any look at me
And I buried
My face in my hands
And I cried.

Paris at night

Three matches one by one struck in the night
The first to see your face in its entirety
The second to see your eyes
The last to see your mouth
And the darkness all around to remind me of all these
As I hold you in my arms.

For you my love

For you, my love
I went to a bird market
And I bought a bird
For you
My love
I went to a flower market
And I bought a flower
For you
My love
I went to a junk market
And I bought a chain
A heavey chain
For you
My love
And I went to a slave market
And I searched for you
But I couldn't find you anywhere
My love

This Love

This love
So violent
So fragile
So tender
So hopeless
This love
Beautiful as the day
And bad as the weather
When the weather is bad
This love so true
This love so beautiful
So happy
So joyous
And so pathetic
Trembling with fear like a child in the dark
And so sure of itself
Like a tranquil man in the middle of the night
This love that made others afraid
That made them speak
That made them go pale
This love intently watched
Because we intently watch it
Run down hurt trampled finished denied forgotten
Because we ran it down hurt it trampled
it finished it denied it forgot it
This whole entire love
Still so lively
And so sunny
It's yours
It's mine
That which has been
This always new thing
And which hasn't changed
As true as a plant
As trembling as a bird
As warm as live as summer
We can both of us
Come and go
We can forget
And then go back to sleep
Wake up suffer grow old
Go back to sleep again
Awake smile and laugh
And feel younger
Our love stays there
Stubborn as an ass
Lively as desire
Cruel as memory
Foolish as regrets
Tender as remembrance
Cold as marble
Beautiful as day
Fragile as a child
It watches us, smiling
And it speaks to us without saying a word
And me I listen to it, trembling
And I cry out
I cry out for you
I cry out for me
I beg you
For you for me for all who love each other
And who loved each other
Yes I cry out to it
For you for me and for all the others
That I don't know
Stay there
There where you are
There where you were in the past
Stay there
Don't move
Don't go away
We who loved each other
We've forgotten you
Don't forget us
We had only you on the earth
Don't let us become cold
Always so much farther away
And anywhere
Give us a sign of life
Much later on a dark night
In the forest of memory
Appear suddenly

Alicante

An orange upon the table
Your dress on the rug
And you in my bed
Sweet present of the present
Freshness of the night
Warmth of my life