CALLIGRAMS – Reviewed

GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE

THE PRETTY REDHEAD

Here I am before all a man full of sense
Knowing life and death what a living person can
know
Having experienced the pains and joys of love
Having sometimes known how to impose his ideas
Knowing several languages
​​Having traveled quite a bit
Having seen war in the Artillery and the Infantry
Wounded in the head trepanned under chloroform
Having lost his best friends in the terrible struggle
I know of the old and the new as much as a single man
could know of the two
And without worrying today about this war
Between us and for us my friends
I judge this long quarrel of tradition and
invention
Of Order and Adventure

You whose mouth is made in the image of that of God
Mouth which is order itself
Be indulgent when you compare us
To those who were the perfection of order
We who seek adventure everywhere

We are not your enemies
We want to give you vast and strange
domains
Where mystery blooms offers itself to whoever wants to pick it
There are new fires there, colors never seen before
A thousand imponderable phantasms
To which we must give reality
We want to explore the goodness, enormous land where everything
is silent
There is also time that can be chased away or brought back
Pity for us who always fight on the borders
Of the unlimited and the future
Pity for our errors, pity for our sins

Here comes summer, the violent season
And my youth is dead like spring
Oh Sun, it is the time of ardent Reason
And I wait
To follow it always, the noble and sweet form
That it takes so that I only love
it She comes and attracts me like an iron magnetizing
her She has the charming appearance
Of an adorable redhead

Her hair is golden, it looks like
A beautiful flash that would last
Or these flames that strut
In the tea roses that fade

But laugh, laugh at me
Men from everywhere, especially people from here
Because there are so many things that I don’t dare tell you
So many things you wouldn’t let me say
Have pity on me

It’s Raining

its raining womens voices as if they were dead even in memory
its raining you too marvelous encounters of my life oh droplets
and those clouds rear and begin to whinny a universe of auricular cities
listen to it rain while regret and disdain weep an ancient music
listen to the the fetters falling that bind you high and low

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This poem is a part of a collection Calligrammes: Poems of Peace and War, and can be found on Goodreads here, with this review posted here.

Analysis

Guillaume Apollinaire’s “Calligrams: Poems of Peace and War” is an innovative and emotionally charged collection that blends themes of love, war, and modernity with striking visual and verbal experimentation. Written during a time of personal and global upheaval, the collection captures the fragmented, chaotic, and often surreal experience of life during World War I.

One of the most notable aspects of “Calligrams” is its exploration of war. Apollinaire, who served as a soldier, portrays the conflict with a mix of stark realism and abstract reflection. The brutality of war is a recurring theme, yet his poems also express a fascination with the machinery, technology, and disorientation of the modern battlefield. This dual perspective captures the tension between admiration for human ingenuity and the horror of its destructive use. Poems like “The Little Car” juxtapose mundane, even playful imagery with the grim reality of war, creating a sense of unease and dislocation.

Love also plays a central role in the collection, often intertwined with loss and longing. Apollinaire’s romantic reflections are tender but tinged with melancholy, as in “The Pretty Redhead,” where affection is colored by the shadow of separation and war. His portrayal of love feels deeply personal yet universal, offering moments of intimacy that contrast with the impersonal destruction of conflict.

Structurally, the collection is as much about how the poems look as how they read. Apollinaire’s use of calligrams—poems arranged in the shape of objects or concepts—adds a visual layer to his themes. This approach makes the poems feel dynamic and alive, forcing the reader to engage with them on multiple levels. The visual aspect mirrors the fragmented nature of modern life, where meaning is often scattered and must be pieced together. At the same time, the structure reflects Apollinaire’s embrace of new artistic ideas and his push against traditional forms.

The tone of the collection is multifaceted, shifting between somber, reflective, and whimsical. In poems like “It’s Raining,” Apollinaire captures the monotony and sorrow of waiting, while others, like “The Little Car,” carry a sense of wonder and humor even amidst war’s chaos. This tonal variety reflects the complexity of the poet’s experience, where moments of beauty and absurdity coexist with violence and grief.

What makes “Calligrams” stand out is its ability to capture the fractured reality of its time while remaining deeply human. Apollinaire’s experiments with form and language don’t distance the reader; instead, they draw them closer to the emotions and experiences he describes. The collection feels both innovative and timeless, offering a powerful exploration of how art can respond to and reflect a world in turmoil. It’s a testament to the resilience of creativity, even in the face of destruction, and a reminder of the enduring power of poetry to shape and interpret the human experience.

Calligram

Calligrams are a form of visual poetry where the layout of words creates a picture or design that reflects the subject of the text. The idea behind a calligram is to combine visual art and written language, merging form and meaning into a single artistic expression. This approach draws attention to how words can communicate not only through their content but also through their appearance.

The history of calligrams dates back centuries, with examples found in ancient civilizations that used decorative writing for religious texts or art. Guillaume Apollinaire popularized the term “calligram” in the early 20th century, using it in his poetry collection Calligrams: Poems of Peace and War. In his work, the visual arrangement of the words reinforces the themes and emotions of the poems. For example, a poem about rain might be shaped like raindrops or falling streams, adding another layer of meaning to the text.

Calligrams challenge traditional ideas of how poetry is structured and read. They force readers to engage differently, as the layout requires a more interactive and deliberate interpretation. This style aligns with modernist art movements, which sought to break away from conventional forms and explore new ways of expression. Apollinaire’s use of calligrams reflects his interest in pushing boundaries and embracing the fragmented, dynamic nature of modern life.

While Apollinaire’s work is among the most well-known, calligrams continue to influence contemporary art and design. They are used in advertising, digital media, and other creative spaces to communicate ideas in visually striking ways. The concept of combining text and image remains a powerful tool for artistic and literary expression, offering endless possibilities for innovation and meaning.

You may learn at Wikipedia here.

Photo by John Noonan on Unsplash