Guillaume Apollinaire ((1880 - 1918)
(from Alcools, 1913; first published Sept. 1912)

Annie

Sur la côte du Texas
Entre Mobile et Galveston il y a
Un grand jardin tout plein de roses
Il contient aussi une villa
Qui est une grande rose

Une femme se promène souvent
Dans le jardin toute seule
Et quand je passe sur la route bordée de tilleuls
Nous nous regardons

Comme cette femme est mennonite
Ses rosiers et ses vêtements n'ont pas de boutons
Il en manque deux à mon veston
La dame et moi suivons presque le même rite

Annie
tr. Charles Bernstein
(from "Words and Pictures" in Content's Dream)

On the coast of Texas
Between Mobile and Galveston there is
A grand garden all full of roses
It contains also a villa
Which is a grand rose

A woman walks often
In the garden all alone
And when I pass on the route bordered by limes
We look at ourselves

Like this woman is mennonite
Her roses and and her clothing have not buttons
There are of them lacking two on my vest
The lady and me follow the same rite.

Annnie
tr. Anne Hyde Greet

On the shores of Texas
Between Mobile and Galveston there is
A great garden filled with roses
There is also a villa
Which is one huge rose

A woman passes often
In the gardem alone
And when I pace the road edged with lime trees
Our eyes meet

As she is Mennonite
Her rose trees and her garmets have no buttons
My jacket's missing two
That lady and I observe almost the same rite

Annie
tr. Oliver Bernard

On the coast of Texas
Between Mobile and Galveston there is
A great big garden overgrown with roses
It also contains a villa
Which is one great rose

Often a woman walks
In the garden all alone
And when I pass on the lime-tree-bordered road
We look at each other

Since this woman belongs to the Mennonite sect
Her rose trees have no buds and her clothes no buttons
There are two missing from my jacket
This lady and I are almost of the same religion