POETS Main Page INDEX of Poets INDEX of Titles & First Lines "Mots d'Heures"

From "Mots d'Heures: Gousses, Rames"
 

van Rooten 
Luis d'Antin van Rooten
(1906-1973)

No.13:
"L'île déjà accornée . . ."

d'Antin's verse:

L'île déjà accornée . . .1
Satinées cornée . . .2
Y dîner guérisse masse bâille . . .3
Il se taquine costumes4
Et ne poule d'août des plumes5
Et ne ses doigts des gouttes beaux émaille.6
"strangely familiar" homophone:

L. d'A. van Rooten's illuminating notes:

1.  The (Lord of the ) island already has horns. This would seem to be a rehash of the old Tristram and Iseult legend; however, it is so fragmentary that positive identification is impossible.
2.  "Satiny corneas" for "velvet eyes," obviously a partial description of the lady in the case.
3.  Yawns help digest a heavy dinner: A thumbnail sketch of the dull, lethargic husband.
4.  He was teased about his clothes. He was not only dull, he was sloppy and inelegant.
5.  He looked like a moulting chicken in August.
6.  She wore nail polish! An interesting revelation of the antiquity of cosmetics. The Egyptians used enamel-like paints; the Chinese, jeweled guards. The timeless universality of nail decoration, alas, gives us no clue as to the possible date of these verses.

Check out some more "mots":

No.1: "Un petit d'Un Petit"
No.6: Et qui rit des curés d'Oc?
No.7: Jacques s'apprête
No.8: Pis-terre, pis-terre
No.10: Lit-elle messe, moffette
No.13: L'île déjà accornée
No.16: Reine, reine
No.17: Pas de caïque

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POETS Main Page INDEX of Poets INDEX of Titles & First Lines "Mots d'Heures"