Paul Verlaine didn't eat quiche. He was a symbolist poet and drank Absinthe (see our Provence blog.) Paul was born in Metz in 1844, led a somewhat colourful life and wrote lots of hippy-trippy poems. The first line of 'Autumn Song' - 'The long sobs of Autumn's violins...' was broadcast to the Resistance in the build-up to D-Day. The second line '...wound my heart with monotonous langour' was the signal that invasion was imminent.
Also born in Metz was Raymond Schwartz, a full-time banker and part-time poet and novelist in the invented language of Esperanto. 'Esperanto' (in Esperanto) means 'one who hopes', and the hope was that the nations of the world could banish misunderstandings and strife if they all spoke the same language. Esperanto is still used today. William Shatner spoke it in the 1965 horror B-movie 'Incubus'. In 1967, Italian engineer Giorgio Rosa built a 400m² oil-rig-style platform in the Adriatic Sea and declared it an autonomous republic. Rosa was to be President and the language, Esperanto. The Italian government responded by hiring a small boat and sending two policemen and a tax inspector.
Ayatollah Khomeini urged Muslims to learn Esperanto to promote understanding between the faiths. He then discovered that the followers of the Bahá'í Faith had had the same idea, and banned it. Useful phrases in Esperanto include "o falis el la sranko" (something fell out of the cupboard) and " Homoj tiaj kiel mi ne konadas timon" (Men such as me know no fear.) Esperanto speakers don't eat quiche.
La Résidence - THE French Property People
Mi estas Esperanto-parolanto, sed mi manĝas fromaĝotorton. (I’m an Esperranto speaker , but I eat quiche.)
ReplyDeleteYou might like to know that there are at least three Esperanto translations of Verlaine’s 'Autumn Song'. They are as follows (source http://lingvo.unblog.fr/2008/04/02/atuna-kanto-de-verlaine/ ):
(Waringhien) (Kalocsay) (Deviatnin)
Pro l' plora son' La velksezon' Ploro longa,
De l' violon' Per violon' Violona,
Aŭtuntona, Ĝemo sona Aŭtundume,
Min en la kor' Vundas ĉe l' kor' Kore vundas,
Lezas langvor' Min per langvor' Triste daŭras
Monotona. Monotona. Enuume.
Sufoksentum' Sufoke nun Min senspiran,
Kaj palo, dum Kaj pale dum Senkoloran,
Hor' sonoras,- Tintoj horaj, Dum horsono
Memoras mi Memoras mi Venas pensoj,
Tagojn kun ŝi, Kaj ploras pri Intaj tagoj,
Kaj ploras; Tagoj foraj. Jen ekploro;
Kaj vagas plu Mi vagas, jen Foriras mi
Laŭ ventosku' Zigzagas en En agoni,
Sen alia Vento forta Nu laŭvente,
Malbona cel' Kun svena fal' Tien reen
Ol tiu de l' Simile al Kaj alien
Mort' folia Branĉo morta. Folimorte.
Mi ankau, mi amas fromaghtorton. (Me too, I love quiche)
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