Raymond RADIGUET (1903.1923)
Signed autograph poems
Two pages in-12°. Slnd
Superb meeting of two signed autograph poems written on both sides.
At the Recto part :
Post Scriptum
Reader, adorable executioner,
Don't be afraid to be harsh
For us who write these verses
Barely worthy of a ZERO.
RR
This quatrain appeared in his collection “ Devoirs de vacances ” published by Editions de la Sirène in 1921, under the title Zéro and with slight modifications: “ Readers, adorable executioner / More than ever be severe / When you discover these verses / A punishment worthy of a zero .”
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On the back of this quatrain, Radiguet wrote this poem of seventeen lines, which remained unpublished during his lifetime. With a disproportionate, erratic handwriting, it was probably written under the influence of alcohol (as indicated by the final note: “I am alone ”) and reveals all the early disenchantment of the young poet:
Since the Earth is round
I won't go to the ends of the world
Since she doesn't want me
I won't follow my dream
It's 5 o'clock
I watch the trams go by
There are no more trams in Paris
Too bad, I like trams
It's 5 o'clock
Professionals go to work
I'm at the water's edge
I make paper casseroles
And I'm leaving... with
Perhaps today the Earth will no longer be round
And I could go to the ends of the world
Maybe today she will want me
And I could follow my dream.
Radiguet. To Machin. I'm alone drunk.