ANALYSIS OF TED BERRIGAN'S POEMS
This section is devoted to the analysis of everything French in Berrigan's different bodies of work.
HOMOPHONIC TRANSLATIONS
And similar styles
A POEM IN HONOR OF SOME BOMBS
To read “A Poem in Honor Of Some Bombs” is to try and read and book while driving through an uneven road in the middle of the night. Reading this poem gives an immediate impression on the manner in which it was written, a mistranslation of a mistranslation, “A Poem in Honor Of Some Bombs” is a homage to Ron Padgett’s homophonic translation of Pierre Reverdy’s “Quelques poèmes”. The most striking element of this poem is the way in which Berrigan dances between the languages, the poem has an overwhelming feeling of confusion, it feels like a homophonic translation, yet it also gives the impression of being the drunken ramblings of a man, who does not know where the line between the English and French ends. As a French speaker, reading this poem felt like walking through a mist, at times, it is apparent what is written in French and what is written in English. However, due to the common ancestry of some words, it becomes impossible to know if Berrigan meant those words to be in English, French or both.
MESS OCCUPATIONS
Henri Michaux’s original poem “Mes Occupations” is in essence a condemnation of indifference and passivity as it exudes aggression and action through its vocabulary and verses. In Berrigan’s version, all of the original meaning is lost, as is to be expected from a mistranslation. However, after reading Michaux’s original version it becomes apparent that Berrigan was heavily influenced by the content of the poem in the rest of his works. “Mes Occupations” is centered around the Michaux’s impulse to beat people for no explicit reason, this is something that resurfaces often in Berrigan’s “The Sonnets” under the guise of “I like to beat people up”. Although in Berrigan’s poems this is not presented in such a violent manner, it gives us a hint of Berrigan’s willingness to confuse his audience through his art.
TRANSLATIONS
THE DRUNKEN BOAT
“The Drunken Boat” is a fifteen page translation of “Le Bateau Ivre” by Arthur Rimbaud, translated by Ted Berrigan and illustrated by Joe Brainard. In contrast to many of his other translations, this poem aims to maintain not only the meaning of the the original poem but also the lyrically of the verses. Although, Berrigan’s translation isn’t exact with its wording, it still is a technical wonder, as most if not all of the conventions used in the original poem are kept, while also adding slight allusions to his New York School style. The most obvious way in which Berrigan added his own sense of self to the poem was through the changes in presentation. Throughout the poem Berrigan adds visual cues to the verses, such as scratching out lines, letters or words, this gives the impression that the poem is a work in progress, constantly changing and evolving, which fits with the overarching theme of the poem. In addition, Brainard’s illustrations change the overall atmosphere of the poem, it gains an air of playfulness and lightheartedness which makes the poem more in line with the New York School style. In the original version of this poem, Rimbaud deals with themes of freedom and rebellion through the symbolism of a traveling boat in order to express Rimbaud’s desire of poetical experimentation and personal liberty. Thus, it is quite fitting for Berrigan to have adapted this poem, as these two elements are central to Berrigan’s writings and the overall New York School aesthetic, as they both ground poetry around the personality of the writer, Berrigan himself often argued that his poetry was a projection of himself upon the world.
TO MODIGLIANI, TO PROVE TO HIM THAT I'M A POET
It is hard to analyze this translation as I failed to find any trace of the original poem. However, it is important to take note of Max Jacob’s place in the early 20th century French art scene. Jacob was always on the fringe of the artistic scene, he was shunned by most established critics as he was considered a failure as he was never a part of any of the artistic movements of his time. Yet, if we disregard these opinions on Jacob and his work we can appreciate that much like the New York School, he never settled for a specific style, he experimented and constantly shifted between the different artistic currents of his time, effectively integrating different aspects of these movements into his work. In essence, he was a precursor to the idea of “recycling” previous works and making them your own. This is evident in this open as we can detect elements derived from both symbolism and surrealism.
FRENCH AS AN ARTISTIC FOUNDATION
THE SONNETS & OTHERS
Guillaume Apollinaire is dead.
When reading Berrigan’s work it becomes apparent that he has a great affinity and appreciation of the great French poets that preceded him. This is most obvious when reading “The Sonnets”, as the French language and French artists occupy a very particular and prominent place. The first reference to French in “The Sonnets” is made in Sonnet V, with “Why can’t I read French? I don’t know why can’t you?”. This line is recurrent thought the entire collection, and it is emblematic of Berrigan’s fascination with the French language while at the same time being lighthearted about his linguistic limitations. The next reference appears on Sonnet XXIII with “Between Oologah and Pawnee” which is an allusion to Apollinaire “Annie” which contains the line “Entre Mobile et Galveston”, then we have “Guillaume Apollinaire is dead.” which appears twice in Sonnet XXXVII, and multiple times through out “The Sonnets”. In addition, Berrigan also mentions other French artists such as Jacques Louis David, George Seurat, Jacques Villon, Max Jacob and Arthur Rimbaud, besides the artists he also uses a wide array of French words or sentences such as “Jeunes Filles” and “Où sont les neiges des neiges”. This pattern of peppering his work with elements of the French language and arts repeats itself throughout al of his work, this is most evident in “It is a Big Red House”, “Some Troubles” and “The Rest of the Secret Life of Ford Madox Ford” in all three of these poems French is a subtle presence that sets the tone for the poems. This near-omnipresence of French artists and the French language is emblematic of Berrigan’s relationship with them, as they constitute the background of his style and poetry.
TO CONCLUDE
Ted Berrigan’s relationship with the French Language and the poets and artists from the late 19th century is one that deserves a great deal of attention as it undoubtedly shaped his work and his personal aesthetic as a poet. In order to properly study this relationship we can divide it into three different aspects, a phonetic aspect, a thematic aspect and a linguistic aspect, each one of these can be associated with different elements of his style. These three facets are represented through his homophonic translations, his “literal” translations and through his constant use of French words and references of French artists.
In his homophonic translation of “Mes Occupations”, “Homage to Pierre Reverdy” and his playful adaptation of “Some Bombs” we get a close look at Berrigan’s dexterity at warping and playing with language. “A Poem in Honor of Some Bombs” masterfully toys the line between French and English leaving the reader in a state of confusion, given that it is apparent that there is an overarching narrative in the poem. However, it becomes increasingly hard to follow it as French and English become further intertwined. This contrasts with his approach in “Mess Occupations” where it is futile to try and discern any narrative. Nonetheless, we can quickly recognize a common element between the two poems as both poems can be seen as the pinnacle of Berrigan’s “I like to beat people up!” as he forces into a state of bewilderment and disorientation.
The next element deals with some of the themes that are prevalent in both Berrigan’s and some of the French Poets’ work. In his translation of “Le Bateau Ivre” Berrigan does an excellent job of conserving both the meaning and the musicality of the poem while also adding his own touch, but the importance of this translation lies on the themes that the original author, Arthur Rimbaud, communicated. Themes of creative poetic expression and personal freedom, something that is inherent in Berrigan’s poetry. This occurrence of common themes is again evident when looking at Max Jacob’s influence on Berrigan, as Jacob’s own style came to be known as one of experimentation and adoption of different elements from multiple poetic movements of his time, similar to Berrigan’s proclivity for adapting the works of both contemporaneous and preceding poets.
The final aspect of this relationship is the most central of the three as it permeates most of Berrigan’s work while also remaining inconspicuous. Throughout most of his work, including “The Sonnets” and “C: A Journal Of Poetry”, Berrigan makes constant homages to numerous French artists, ranging from sculptors and painters to poets and writers. In addition to this, a great amount of his work is peppered with French words and sentences, these often repeat themselves creating a sense of thematic consistency all through his poems. This is the very essence of Berrigan’s relationship with everything French, his poems and his style are built upon his admiration of the French language and of the poets that worked with it, although Berrigan’s work is very much his own, there exists a remarkable connection between him and his sources of inspiration as they played the groundwork for his personal expression. Thus, Berrigan’s constant references and homages serve as subtle tributes to the artists that preceded him and the language that inspired them.