Ilse’s Reviews > Intimate Kisses: The Poetry of Sexual Pleasure > Status Update

Beautiful poem

Linda wrote: "Beautiful poem"
Glad you thought so, Linda. Some of Prévert’s love poems would make one believe in love (again) , in case one wouldn’t anymore - this one shines both in the original and in translation if you ask me;).

Although the English translation of Autumn Leaves is quite different than the original French version, whenever I see his name, that haunting song floats through my soul.

Gorgeous.

David wrote: "Although the English translation of Autumn Leaves is quite different than the original French version, whenever I see his name, that haunting song floats through my soul."
David, I only knew the song in French, as sung by Yves Montand - thank you very much for coaxing me to listen to Nat King Cole singing it - what a melancholic, beautiful, soul-piercing music ❤️

Sarah wrote: "Gorgeous."
Glad you liked it, Sarah - some of the French poets of this generation (Jacques Prévert, Robert Desnos, Paul Eluard) wrote incredible poetry about that ever fascinating subject, love - at least, imho ;).

I never knew Ferlinghetti was multi lingual.He was friends with one of my college English professors. Also, thanks for putting Nat Cole in my morning thoughts, Ilse.

Daniel wrote: "I never knew Ferlinghetti was multi lingual.He was friends with one of my college English professors. Also, thanks for putting Nat Cole in my morning thoughts, Ilse."
Daniel, how wonderful - did your professor share stories about him? The first time I encountered a poem of him was in a poetry collection on Paris Poems of Paris - 'Plan du centre du Paris à vol d'oiseau). Apparently he studied at the Sorbonne , where he read the French surrealists (Breton, Artaud) He also read Jacques Prévert, whose “Paroles” was published in 1948, and which Ferlinghetti translated for the first time into English. It seems like his translations in English of Prévert are still the ones that are used in poetry anthologies. How does Ferlinghetti resonate with you as a poet?

Daniel, for Nat Cole, I entirely credit David, whose comment I found this morning, two months after he so kindly posted it :(. But what a song, and what a balm is Nat Cole's voice - I like to listen to him singing 'Let's face the music and dance' when in the mood for something uplifting :)

Ilse… yes he would mention him and others in passing..The professor, Gary Snyder, is a fairly well known poet himself. There was a while group of them.. Kerouac and Ginsberg come to immediate mind… who were living in San Francisco and the Bay Area at the time…Nat Cole was the best… he was also a pioneer in a sense, hosting a variety show in 1956 on NBC.

Also.. Ferlinghetti resonates very well with me. He was also a painter and I am struck by the visual imagery in his poems( although I have not visited him in a while). He is often grouped with the “ Beat” poets but actually transcends that categorization.

Daniel wrote: "Ilse… yes he would mention him and others in passing..The professor, Gary Snyder, is a fairly well known poet himself. There was a while group of them.. Kerouac and Ginsberg come to immediate mind…..."
Daniel, I am not sure I came across Gary Snyder before, so thank you for bringing him to my attention. I read a few of his poems online, 'Spring' and 'finding the space in the heart', the 'on the road' feel struck me (perhaps because you mentioned Kerouac and that being the only work I read by Kerouac). A hippie friend of mine in my teens was quite into what that scene wrote and recommend me to read them, also Vonnegut and Tim Robbins (as a change for the 19th century classics I was reading at the time). I'll look for footage of that 1956 show with Nat Cole.

Daniel wrote: "Also.. Ferlinghetti resonates very well with me. He was also a painter and I am struck by the visual imagery in his poems( although I have not visited him in a while). He is often grouped with the Beat poets ..."
Daniel, I wouldn't be surprised if he was thoroughly influenced by the French surrealist poets he read in Paris - what you write reminds me of the powerful visual imagery of Paul Eluard, which I love to bits. I'll check out Ferlinghetti's poems, thank you!