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Songs secrets, Jean Genet, 1945 "The Condemned to Death"

Love come on my mouth! Love opens your doors! Traverse
corridors, shoot, light walking,
Fly on the stairs, more flexible than a shepherd,
More supported by an air flight leaves.

through O the walls if necessary walking along
roofs, oceans, cover yourself with light,
Use of threat, use of prayer,
But come, my frigate an hour before my death.

While he was incarcerated in Fresnes for stealing books in September 1942, Jean Genet wrote his first poem, The sentenced to death. This long poem is dedicated Alexandrian "Mauritius Pilorge, murderer of twenty years": "I dedicated this poem to the memory of my friend Maurice Pilorge whose body and radiant face haunt my nights without sleep. In spirit I saw with him forty days he spent, the chains on their feet and sometimes the wrists, in cell on death row in the prison of Saint-Brieuc. [...] For me, who knew him and loved him, I am here, as gently as possible, tenderly, said he was dignified by the double and single splendor of his soul and his body, having the benefit of such a death. "

Jean Genet had printed the poem by a fellow inmate, typographer by trade, convicted of making false ration cards. The estimated first printing of 100 copies was distributed by Jean Genet with the circle of admirers who were beginning to form around him: Jean Cocteau, Francis Sentein, etc..

In November 1943, Jean Genet made the acquaintance of Marc Barbezat, a Lyons industrialist who published a literary magazine The Crossbow . Olga is Barbezat Genet who introduced her husband, after reading this poem. By January 1944, Jean Genet proposes to Marc Barbezat publish The condemned man, with another unpublished poem, Funeral March, under the general title of Chants secrets. This project will not be realized until 1945. Previously, Marce Barbezat publishes a chapter of Our Lady of the Flowers in his magazine. He then printed in March 1945 Songs secret to 402 copies in beautiful airy typography that characterizes all the works of editions of The Crossbow , especially the beautiful harmony of prints in red and black. Marc Barbezat choose a painter and poet, Emile Picq, to illustrate the cover.

The whole poem deserves to be cited. It contains this mixture to Jean Genet's own fascination with evil and crime and homosexual eroticism of the body of the assassin who becomes the object of fantasy and love: "the specter of a killer on the heavy fly."

However, seeing in this poem that this alloy has become a bit banal, crime and erotica, is a simplistic view. First it is a very beautiful text. The reading is captivating. We find this language unique Genet who knows so well combine the purity of a language sometimes a little precious with the rawness and freedom of the scenes mentioned:

Rise up in the air from the moon oh my child. Come
flow into my mouth a little heavy sperm
That rolls from your throat to your teeth, my love, finally
To fertilize our lovely wedding.

Stick your body against mine delighted that dies
OF fuck the most soft and gentle rogues. In weighing your charmed
round balls blondes,
My t'enfile lives of black marble to the heart. This evocation

neighbor with raw poetic dream of escape and love:

O come my sunshine, oh come my night
of Spain arrives in my eyes will be dead tomorrow.
arrives, opens my door, bring me your hand,
Take me away from here beat our campaign.

Heaven can wake up, stars bloom, the flowers
And sigh, and meadow grass black
Greet the morning when the dew is going to drink,
The bell may ring: I alone will die.

O come my pink sky, O my trash blonde!
Visit his night your condemned to death.
Pluck up the flesh, kill, climbing, biting,
But come! Put your cheek against my head round.

We had not finished we talk about love.
We had not finished smoking our gypsy.
One may wonder why the courts condemn
A murderer is so beautiful that day fade.

Another excerpt and illustration of the manner of Jean Genet: fascination, along with religious and pagan, the handsome youth, the murder and the next punishment auréolent become an attraction almost supernatural

And the old assassins pressing for the rite dan
Squatting in the evening take a dry stick
A little fire that flies, active little guy
More poignant and touching a pure dick. The bandit

the hardest in his muscles
polite bows of respect to the frail boy. Monte
the moon in the sky. Calms a quarrel.
Bougent of the mysterious black flag folds.

T'enveloppent so fine, your gestures lace!
A shoulder leaning against the red palm
You smoke. The smoke goes down your throat
While the convicts, in a solemn dance

Graves, silent, in turn, child
Go take a drop on your mouth fragrant,
One drop, not two, round smoke poured their
What your tongue. O brother triumphant

This wealth of evocations of feelings, which traditionally belong to different registers, far from forming a mixed bag, is instead a very large unit, cemented by the single language that makes it a one long poem in praise of the beauty and fascination of men.

The second poem, Funeral March is also dedicated to Maurice Pilorge.

The cover illustration gives a personal touch to this edition. It is signed by Emile Picq. I unfortunately did not manage to find much information about it. He was an illustrator, painter and poet. Francis Ponge has devoted an article published in May 1944 in the Workshop within the contemporary collection painter to study , Paris, Gallimard, NRF, 1948.
There is a single book of him at the BNF:
Fever memories of exile. With drawings by the author. Joyful mystery. Holy Cohort. In a lost city. Departure for exile. Jardin du cri de coeur. Forest dream.
Paris, A. Henneuse, 1942, in-16, 105 p.

All poems Jean Genet was published in the collection Poetry / Gallimard

For those who want to go further on Jean Genet, one of the biographies of reference is that of Edmund White.

It is full of information, accurate and factual. Most of the information, very abstract, and these poems are from this edition.

Finally, I recommend this kit (DVD + CD + booklet). It not only contains the movie A love song, it is essential to have seen all those fascinated by the world of Genet, but also interviews and Jean Genet. The booklet contains a reproduction of the manuscript Sentenced to death

A small personal note

Jean Genet's work, especially Our Lady of the Flowers , was a great discovery, I would almost say an enlightenment of my adolescence. With other literary works, she has contributed to the formation of my conscience homosexual. This is not so much subversive aspect (a bit stale now) or sulfur, which has enriched me, but Genet's fascination for man and homosexual love. This fascination as expressed in their raw state, helped me to understand and live my own fascination, which, today, thirty years later, remains inentamée nor diminished.

The amazing thing is that I just found the poetry of Genet, especially this poem, all because I was first captivated by this beautiful work, this fine example. When I say that love books joined the love of boys is also a love of books allows me to deepen my love of men.

Description of structure

Secret Songs
[Lyon], The Crossbow, 4to (284 x 192 mm), [1945] 45 - [2] pp, folded cover bearing a picture.

A small feature of this book is that the name of the author, with illustrations, is located on the first cover and the title is in the back cover:

Circulation 402 copies:
- 400 numbered copies on pur fil Lafuma, all reserved for subscribers numbered from 1 to 400.
- 2 copies of old Japan reimposed.