Of Flowers, Smoke and Repose...
[Image: N.C.Wyeth, 'The Opium Eater', 1913]
Georges-Albert Puyou de Pouvourville (Comte de Pouvourville, 1862 - 1939) was a Frenchman living in French Indochina (Cochinchina) in the city of Tonkin (among other places). Having lived in the Far East for decades, he became quite integrated into oriental aesthetics and Taoist philosophy. As his transformation from 'Westerner' to 'Far Easterner' was such an extensive and all encompassing evolution, he wrote under his pseudonym MATGIOI ("eye of the day"), rather than his 'western name'. Part of his daily regimen was to smoke his dose of opium, which he continued to do daily until his death in his 70s. His was a much more sedate relationship with Papaver Somniferum than the far more volatile Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen (more of him in a previous post entitled 'Beside the Little (Opium) Lamp'). Here, now, is a paean to the seductive, yet merciless sphynx who hides behind her deceptively pliant petals; just waiting to ensnare her next all-too-willing victim...
L’Opium
Doux regret du matin, doux sourire du soir,
Indifférent du los et mépriseur des blâmes,
Opium doré, muet conseiller, amorçoir
De tous le raffinés plaisirs que nous aimâmes,
Directeur du savoir, du pouvoir, du vouloir,
Créature de concepts, générateur de flammes,
Frère ainé du sommeil, père du nonchaloir,
Règle des sens, poison des cœurs, soutien des âmes,
Réconfort du songeur, espoir du continent,
Endormeur des soucis, bouche d’or des légendes,
Excitateur des doigts, titillateur des glandes,
Invisible empereur du rêve hallucinant,
Vin du cerveau contrit, pain de l’âme affamée,
Noir compagnon, baiser secret, maître immanent,
Viens, mon ami ; viens, ma maîtresse ; viens, fumée.
MATGIOI (Albert de Pouvourville) 'Rimes Chinoises', 1904.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opium
Mild regret of the morning, sweet smile of the evening,
Indifferent to praise and scorner of blame,
Gilded opium, silent counselor, nurturer
Of all of the refined pleasures that we each loved,
Director of knowledge, power, will,
Creature of concepts, fire-starter,
Older brother of sleep, father of nonchalance,
Ruler of sense, poison of hearts, sustainer of souls,
Comfort of the dreamer, hope of the continent,
Luller of cares, golden mouth of legends,
Stimulator of the fingers, titillator of glands,
Invisible emperor of hallucinatory dream,
Wine of the contrite brain and bread of the starved soul,
Black companion, secret kiss, immanent master
Come, my friend, come, my mistress, come, smoke.
MATGIOI (Albert de Pouvourville), 'Chinese Rhymes', 1904.
[Traduction Anglaise: R.E.André III / Sardonique Schadenfreude Rictus, 2011.]
Georges-Albert Puyou de Pouvourville (Comte de Pouvourville, 1862 - 1939) was a Frenchman living in French Indochina (Cochinchina) in the city of Tonkin (among other places). Having lived in the Far East for decades, he became quite integrated into oriental aesthetics and Taoist philosophy. As his transformation from 'Westerner' to 'Far Easterner' was such an extensive and all encompassing evolution, he wrote under his pseudonym MATGIOI ("eye of the day"), rather than his 'western name'. Part of his daily regimen was to smoke his dose of opium, which he continued to do daily until his death in his 70s. His was a much more sedate relationship with Papaver Somniferum than the far more volatile Jacques d'Adelswärd-Fersen (more of him in a previous post entitled 'Beside the Little (Opium) Lamp'). Here, now, is a paean to the seductive, yet merciless sphynx who hides behind her deceptively pliant petals; just waiting to ensnare her next all-too-willing victim...
L’Opium
Doux regret du matin, doux sourire du soir,
Indifférent du los et mépriseur des blâmes,
Opium doré, muet conseiller, amorçoir
De tous le raffinés plaisirs que nous aimâmes,
Directeur du savoir, du pouvoir, du vouloir,
Créature de concepts, générateur de flammes,
Frère ainé du sommeil, père du nonchaloir,
Règle des sens, poison des cœurs, soutien des âmes,
Réconfort du songeur, espoir du continent,
Endormeur des soucis, bouche d’or des légendes,
Excitateur des doigts, titillateur des glandes,
Invisible empereur du rêve hallucinant,
Vin du cerveau contrit, pain de l’âme affamée,
Noir compagnon, baiser secret, maître immanent,
Viens, mon ami ; viens, ma maîtresse ; viens, fumée.
MATGIOI (Albert de Pouvourville) 'Rimes Chinoises', 1904.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opium
Mild regret of the morning, sweet smile of the evening,
Indifferent to praise and scorner of blame,
Gilded opium, silent counselor, nurturer
Of all of the refined pleasures that we each loved,
Director of knowledge, power, will,
Creature of concepts, fire-starter,
Older brother of sleep, father of nonchalance,
Ruler of sense, poison of hearts, sustainer of souls,
Comfort of the dreamer, hope of the continent,
Luller of cares, golden mouth of legends,
Stimulator of the fingers, titillator of glands,
Invisible emperor of hallucinatory dream,
Wine of the contrite brain and bread of the starved soul,
Black companion, secret kiss, immanent master
Come, my friend, come, my mistress, come, smoke.
MATGIOI (Albert de Pouvourville), 'Chinese Rhymes', 1904.
[Traduction Anglaise: R.E.André III / Sardonique Schadenfreude Rictus, 2011.]