Paul Valéry (1871-1945)

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Written by Nurel Javissyarqi
Translated by Agus B. Harianto

Paul Ambroise Valéry (1871-1945) French poet who was born in Cette (Languedoc), studied law at Montpellier. His youth was fun with rhyming romantic and symbolic, and Paul met Mallarmé also André Gide at 1890. In the year 1892, Paul turned into the view of intellectualism. His first works in the sphere of literature, essays rhyming on Introduction à La method de Leonardo da Vinci (1895), and Les Soires avec Monsieur Teste (1896). 17 years thereafter disappeared from the literary world, working in the ministry of war, and the Haves news agency, only his diary revealed. He figured to Leonardo da Vinci in studying philosophy of science and other knowledge. In 1913, he reappeared with short poems, and then in 1917 he published more rhymes of poems that he worked long years, La Jeune Parque, and then Palme (1919), Le cimetière marin (1920), and Ébauche d’un serpent (1921) and all are collected in the anthology Charmes. Since the first World War he took priotity of society phenomena and the political into the form of essays, such as Sur la crise d’Intelligence (1925), and in the same year he was promoted and elected to be the member of French Academy. His works after that are Rhumbs (1926), Regards sur le monde actuel (1931) and Choses Tues (1932). Valéry stressed on the importance of the intellectual classes in guiding the community, while about the theory of poetry, it need for a pure form with a impact and reasonable. Valery is the front man of the group flattering to pure poetry, his poems generally feels cool because it comes from frigidity. View today’s about him is better known as the author of essay rather than a poet.

LANGKAH-LANGKAH
Paul Valéry

Langkahmu, kanak-kanak sepiku,
Kudus dan pelan diinjakkan,
Menuju ranjang waspadaku,
Bisu dan kelu dimajukan.

Makhluk murni, bayangan luhur,
Lembut nian langkahmu-teguh!
Tuhan… semua berkah kutaksir,
Telanjang kaki datang padaku.

Jika, dari bibirmu meluncung,
Kau siapkan, sebagai pengaman,
Bagi penghuni serba fikiranku,
Sari hidup suatu ciuman,

Jangan gegaskan tuk tindak mesra,
Gairah jumpaan diri-takdiri:
Karena hidupku: tunggu-kau cuma.
Dan itu langkahmu: hatiku ini.

STEPS
Paul Valéry

Your step, childhood is my loneliness,
Holy and slowly stepped on,
Towards bed of my carefulness,
Advanced mute and numb.

Pure creature, noble idea,
Your step get more gentle and tenacious!
God … all blessings fancy,
Bare feet come to me.

If, from your lips pointing at,
You prepare, as a safety,
For dweller of all my mind,
The essence of life is a kiss,

Do not hurry to act affectionately,
Passionate encounter self-determines:
Because of my life: just waiting for you.
And that is your step: this is my heart.

(from the book Puisi Dunia (World Poetry), Volume I, arranged by M. Taslim Ali, Balai Pustaka, 1952, which in re-translation into English more less like above)
***

I
Interpreted Valery and paid attention to his stride, even them, or only to him, childhood instinct awakened of the soft cocoon slowly opened the door of tender, on ancient song composed of past history, a act defines youthful dreams to the level of understanding.

The step matures impact muse, trace the conviction of inner, any intention of the depth of loneliness called the quiet, be longing by motion, the reason composed from the sleep of imagination wanderings, manifested by the colors of light, and shadows reflects the understanding.

Towards the bed of dramatic struggle, by the fragrance of flowers sown, the fragrance filled the room, probably more embed deeply, be solemn of sighing after looking at the horizon, behind the window opens long recording, anxiety was passed through, exploring interceptor of doubt, whether up or stagnated.

The silence of saying by fear be courageous to say, there are times isolated until it was difficult to soundless, and when the anxiety goes up, comes the echo, then promoted as the will of the existence, that is my interpretation of the first stanza.

II
The noble idea and beauty and charm angel has planted the feeling, from a long blast of nature strains, like noble atmosphere of ancestor dissolved with the soul, softening the firm steps, be polite to chanting and beat time with the meat, on the air bubbles that pumped by the blood of fighting, immeasurable miss.

As understanding until moisture grains of memory are boiled at nights to affect the most pure soul. Juncture prayer blesses estimates, always be reached to get heavy abundance of finalization, beginning fortune get serious to circumstances, pay attention to the situations to utter signed incident, for more understandable benefit, than just forehead signs without broad minded.

Hence widen the net of awareness of words, so not stopped only in the body, and by it nudity of feet freshen the meaning of understanding, in each pulse of pebble on the streets of quiet.

What was uncovered sees serious existence, the month-awaited look lovely luxury, when the black of stage scattering spots of the stars, on the reflection of the heart gleaming to the testimony.

III
At the edge ravine of mind cross stirred the inner of feelings, tiny leaves in the wind of height, and the clouds of appreciation spread the reasoning, broadcasting prejudice to suspect the days stay in lovely, where the news of eternity are singing at the top of genuineness, out of suspicion, only the butterfly have strong willing to inhabit the season of eternity, promised to reach not witnessed bolls, with recording misty.

The trees stand in the same way, the stones were fervently worshipped to combine rain water that sometimes stinging, which got there required to walk, step down again to the footpath to see the crowded of civilization, and then told by the inhabitants of reasonable, on the quintessential of kiss, which is the memory of Valery felt.

In other place, the fallen trees are pulled by tight flow, still carrying its roots, so it would not be washed away but flash flood of unconsciousness. Thus, establishing the reasoning alike a brief kiss translated by various improvements, for the sake of not losing all are reached by the face of crazy about longing, it is worthy with friendly time that much more far to spat anxiety, unites anything, for the sake of to be loyal though in other situation, still a combination of the soul spelling the wanderer.

IV
When the fate encounter is done, the long desire wishes to get hurry to kiss the reddish lips of passionate of powers, but it is not so, the slowly growing surge in depth wanted to spit lava of lightning, like the rain suddenly rushed.

Not long shock, but awe brought the soul along with moans of warm tender, slippery road of the legs of carefulness, because his life is awaited, though the sweat is lost, or the united courage of steps are disappear, only to the love of exposure by inner depended on shoulder of faithful.

In particular side, the beat of waiting keeps influence the ripe fruit, ready to be picked by meetings, fingers are clutching the life of words, for the continued pronounced, by the life that just waiting for the time of love to embrace impact, resembling interwoven strands of hair, blood mixed with sweat in the struggling of prosperity, life and death is the limit of souls specified to visit the world before birth of the most obscure world, before returns to the heart step of being pearl.

Valery is a certainty of poetics from the heart down faithfully, such as rural communities dwell the innocence, not bored stupidity when chanting sentences be able to surely integrate, with the reaching of imaginations from the depth of truss reasoning of understanding each other, resembling like loses the body of lover disappears only temporarily, because the heart inhabited by a cluster of eternity of love, sincerity is the same inhabits secret, by always teaching the longing.

Short breathe or even long, the result of soul’s processed to be serious to the life’s overview to cover compliance. Valery had his social life like bind stalk to the flower, guiding other flowers on the meadow, for the freshness of the wind to reverberate into the valleys of smell, purify the reasoning of poetics of human being.