From Another Sky by Pierre Reverdy

From Another Sky

by Pierre Reverdy

What shall become of me
I feel myself dying
Help me
Ah Paris . . . the Pont Neuf
I know this town
Brief pleasures
Brief sorrows
My life
Is it really worth mentioning
Anyone could say the same
And how else to pass the time
I dream of another landscape
A forgotten friend reveals his features
Region of shadows
And pale skies
Native country that returns to me every morning
The journey was a long one
I lost some feathers on the way
And my illusions fell one by one
Still I was then in the midst of springtime
Hardly more than a child
I kept moving on
A clamorous train conveyed me
Little by little I forgot nature
Then the railway station was upon us
We changed cars
And on the station platform no one was waiting
The skeletal dead city
Raises its blast furnaces over there
What shall become of me
Some one touches my forehead with a
fantastic shadow
A hand
But what I thought I saw is only train smoke
I am alone
Yes all alone