Guillaume Apollinaire
To Mr. Ch.
Rotsoge
Your scarlet face your biplane transformable into
a hydroplane
Your round house where a red herring swims
I need the key to the eyelids
Fortunately we saw Mr. Panado
And we are quiet on that side
What do you see my old MD..
90 or 324 a man in the air a calf looking through
its mother’s belly
I searched for a long time on the roads
So many eyes are closed at the side of the roads
The wind makes the saussaies cry
Open open open open open
Look but look
The old man washes his feet in the basin
Una volta ho inteso say Chè vuoi
I started to cry remembering your childhoods
And you show me a terrible purple
This little painting where there is a car reminded me of the day
A day made of purple yellow blue green and
red
pieces When I went to the countryside with a charming
fireplace holding its dog on a leash
There are no more you no longer have your little kazoo
The chimney smokes Russian cigarettes far from me
The dog barks at the lilacs
The night light is consumed
Petals have fallen on the dress
Two gold rings near the sandals
They lit up in the sun
But your hair is the trolley
Across Europe dressed in small multi-colored fires
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem navigates an intricate landscape of surreal, fragmented images that evoke both personal nostalgia and a sense of dislocation. The poet’s reflections are steeped in vivid visual detail and dreamlike abstraction, presenting a stark contrast between the immediacy of the past and the alienation of the present. The structure of the poem itself mirrors this tension, moving between disconnected images and scenes, creating a fragmented narrative that requires the reader to engage in a deeper, more interpretive act of making meaning.
The opening lines set the tone for this disjointed journey, where references to “scarlet face,” “biplane transformable into a hydroplane,” and “round house where a red herring swims” create a sense of surrealism. These vivid, yet odd, descriptions don’t seem to connect to any tangible reality, but instead, evoke an emotional or psychological state—perhaps a feeling of being caught between memories and the present. The mention of “Mr. Panado” offers a suggestion of medicinal relief, indicating an attempt to ease mental distress, but it does not provide a clear resolution.
As the poem progresses, the speaker’s journey becomes more abstract, marked by a search for meaning or understanding. “So many eyes are closed at the side of the roads” speaks to a sense of passivity or inaction, as though the speaker is navigating through a world full of indifference or unnoticed potential. The repeated cry to “open” suggests an urge for awakening or enlightenment, but the poem itself does not offer answers, only more questions and images that are difficult to reconcile.
The reference to “the old man washing his feet in the basin” is an intimate, almost ritualistic act, grounding the poem in a moment of pause, while “una volta ho inteso say Chè vuoi” (I once heard say, What do you want) adds a layer of personal reflection and longing, as though the speaker is reaching into the past, seeking clarity from a time gone by.
The closing images of “a little painting” and “pieces” recalling “the day,” with references to purple, yellow, blue, green, and red, pull the reader into a scene rich with sensory detail. However, this painting is not simply a representation of a past moment but an interpretation, colored by emotion and memory. The speaker remembers a day filled with life and vibrancy, but also a day marked by absence—the “you” who no longer has “your little kazoo,” the “chimney smokes Russian cigarettes far from me,” and the dog barking at the lilacs.
Ultimately, the poem creates a powerful sense of longing and loss. The imagery, while disconnected, is filled with emotional resonance, invoking themes of memory, absence, and the passage of time. The poet’s use of color and objects like “gold rings near the sandals” and “small multi-colored fires” implies both a sense of fleeting beauty and the inevitability of change. The final lines, which describe the speaker’s hair as “the trolley across Europe dressed in small multi-colored fires,” conjure a sense of constant motion and transformation, reinforcing the poem’s exploration of a world in flux, where identities and moments are fluid and ever-shifting.
In its fragmented style, the poem reflects the inner workings of a mind grappling with memory, loss, and the complexity of human experience. It does not offer clear answers but invites the reader to embrace its uncertainty, to search for meaning in the dissonance, and to recognize the emotional truth that lies beneath the surface.