Londres aux mille visages, poème – Many faces of London, poem

Posted on by

You think you visit London, London who visits you
Step after step, you taste her heteroclite charms
Snob, quite, shut or rock, alert and open
A market which smells of India, Italy and green grass
A canal bucolic and urban, chic and trash
Luxury Shops, flashy stalls

You think you come through London, London comes through you
You stroll quiety and she moves you
Streets grey, red or bayadere, quiet or agitated
A beer in the pub, a cocktail at the Ritz or a tea
Eclectic buildings smashing the grey sky
Passers-by pursuing business or wandering

You think you reveal London, London reveals you
You see the world in her sparkling facets
The past crosses the future at each street corner
And none of this encounters looks incongruous
At any moment, the town invents herself and frees you
Nothing is impossible, your spirit is sharp and clear



Tu crois visiter Londres, c’est Londres qui te visite
Au fil des pas, tu goûtes ses charmes hétéroclites
Snob, calme et close ou rock, alerte et ouverte
Un marché qui sent l’Inde, l’Italie et l’herbe verte
Un canal bucolique et urbain, chic et trash
Des boutiques de luxe, des échoppes qui flashent

Tu crois traverser Londres, c’est Londres qui te traverse
Tu te promènes tranquille et elle te bouleverse
Rues grises, rouges ou bayadères, calmes ou agitées
Une bière au pub, un cocktail au Ritz ou un thé
Des buildings éclectiques qui fracassent le ciel gris
Les passants poursuivent business ou flânerie

Tu crois révéler Londres, c’est Londres qui te révèle
Tu vois le monde dans ses facettes qui étincellent
Le passé croise le futur à chaque coin de rue
Et aucune de ces rencontres ne semblent incongrues
A tout moment la ville s’invente et te libères
Rien n’est impossible, ton esprit est vif et  clair

You think you visit London, London who visits you
Step after step, you taste her heteroclite charms
Snob, quite, shut or rock, alert and open
A market which smells of India, Italy and green grass
A canal bucolic and urban, chic and trash
Luxury Shops, flashy stalls

You think you come through London, London comes through you
You stroll quiety and she moves you
Streets grey, red or bayadere, quiet or agitated
A beer in the pub, a cocktail at the Ritz or a tea
Eclectic buildings smashing the grey sky
Passers-by pursuing business or wandering

You think you reveal London, London reveals you
You see the world in her sparkling facets
The past crosses the future at each street corner
And none of this encounters looks incongruous
At any moment, the town invents herself and frees you
Nothing is impossible, your spirit is sharp and clear