Hotels
The room’s a widow
Each man for himself
New arrivals
It’s rent by the month
The landlord doubts
If we’ll pay up
I spin around
Like a child’s top
The racket of taxis
My ugly neighbor
Who smokes a foul
English tobacco
O La Vallière
Who limps & laughs
At my prayers
The bedside table
And all together
In this hotel
We understand language
As they did at Babel
We shut our doors
With double locks
Each man supplies
His only love
Guillaume Apollinaire,
“Hôtels”
Translation by Jack
Hayes
© 2017
Note:
La Vallière refers to
Louise de La Vallière, mistress of King Louis XIV.
Image connects to
its source on Wiki Commons:
“Rue de Constantine,
Paris” 1855
Charles Marville
Public domain
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