XXII L'EUROPE ET SES CONVULSIONS

Or le vaisseau roulait, donnant de la bande,
Car les boulets l'avaient presque dématé,
Les cales pleines d'eau et du cri des bandes
Dont les rixes ne savaient de répit, et

Toutefois toujours Eldorado des hères
Du lumignon phébéen démodé fous,
Asile quiet quand s'ouvraient les cratères
Et grossissait le flot des ventres, des foules

Immaîtrisées, et les regards des bêtes
Trouaient la paix de nos tumultes huilés-
Muezzin dansant sur les brocarts d'une fête,
Rêve interdit du drapeau bleu étoilé,

Glus empêtrant les colombes et les aubes,
Jungles célant les fuites et les charniers,
Beaux mots ailés qui êtes leurres et daubes,
Fus-je fou de vous avoir toujours niés?

La fille passait à la crête de soufre.
Giton paradait, les bras marbrés, le sang
Pourri. Le vieux chant rejoignait dans le gouffre
Péans défunts, alexandrin impuissant.

Puis le jour vint où mourut la chansonnette.
Jacques s'assit sur les marches du palais
Tendant son claque ou moyennant sa sornette.
Les vieux démons qu'on avait cru en allés

Raclèrent les guitares aux promenades
Pour empaumer le passant moins démuni
Ou, sans accords, chroniquèrent leur panade.
Ce fut le temps de Chloë sans jupon ni

Pudique atour s'étalant sur les murailles.
Daphnis touchait les jetons de son repos.
Les grognons parlèrent de funérailles 
Du vieux Gallus qui n'avait plus que sa peau

A lui. Le conte où Sade rejoint Dracula
Fit le bonheur de l'affranchi Bonhomet
Passé Néron, et l'ancien monde bascula
Au chaos que d'aucuns dirent sommet.

Michel Galiana (c) 1990

XXII EUROPEAN CONVULSIONS

At the time, the ship rolled along, listing badly
Due to the cannonballs that had dismasted her,
The holds were full of salt water and blasphemy
Uttered by ruffians whose frays would cease never.

Eldorado she was for many poor wretches
Infatuated with the moon still undefiled
A quiet asylum when burst open breaches
Belching forth, in swelling flows, the bowels of wild,

Uncontrolled rabble. The glances of tame beasts
Pierced the peacefulness of our oiled street fights-
A muezzin dancing at the gibes of a feast
Of the blue starry flag had the forbidden sight. 

Birdlimes aimed to catch peace doves and morning glare,
Jungles where were concealed mass graves and runaways.
Ye fair words, winged words that are both jeer and snare,
Was it foolish of me to deny you always?

The girl who passed displayed a cockscomb of sulphur
Gitone paraded stained with heamoglobin
Art of song subsided into the sepulchre
Where defunct peans lay with dead alexandrine.

Until the day did dawn when ditties came to die.
A Jackass sat down on the steps of the king's hall
He held out his top hat, procured his beggar's lie.
And the old fiends who were believed to have left all

They now scraped guitars and sang in the alleys
To lure the passers-by and rob their last banknote
Or, without chords, started to relate their decay.
It was then that Chloe without her petticoat

Immodestly displayed her portrait on the walls
While Daphnis collected his retirement pension.
Grumblers set to mumble about the funeral
Of old Gallus whose hide was his sole possession

Left. A tale -in which Sade teamed up with the monster
Dracula - made happy the rabble, those freed packs
Now advanced to tyrants. The Old World tipped over
Into a dreadful mess, by many styled "climax".