Jacques Prevert / Four Poems

FOUR POEMS

by Jacques Prevert

The Wonders of Life

In the teeth of a trap
The paw of a white fox
And on the snow, blood
The blood of the white fox
And in the snow, tracks
The tracks of the white fox
Who escaped on three legs
As the sun was setting
A rabbit between his teeth
Still alive

---

It's Like That

A sailor has left the sea
his ship has left the port
the king has left the queen
and a miser has left his gold
                                it's like that
A widow has left her grief
a crazy woman has left the madhouse
and your smile has left my lips
                                it's like that
You will leave me
you will leave me
you will leave me
you will come back to me
you will marry me
you will marry me
The knife marries the wound
the rainbow marries the rain
the smile marries the tears
the caress marries the frown
                                it's like that
And fire marries ice
and death marries life
and life marries love
You will marry me
you will marry me
you will marry me

---

Hyde Park

Like the sea that
tumbles on the sand
here the lovers act
as seems good to them
And nobody asks
if it's for the night or
just a while
nobody talks of the
price of this room
of live green velvet
Hyde and Jeckyll Park
public Eden where one hears
night and day
whispered
"the Devil save the Dream!"