Words

By Sony Labou Tansi

This article appeared in the September 10, 2007 edition of The Nation.

August 22, 2007

Words charm me
  make me sign
And ask that I
  work
at any salary
  to find them--
Words rush
  under my pen
like a crowd
  of workers
Words demand
  their right to speak
  and seek to establish a dictatorship
  of words over life--
They need someone who understands them
  who will be at their service--
        Alas! I am not that person
Words pass through my hands
  Sitting and sleeping
  at the feet of the poet
  Who alone knows what they are worth
  Words will die if no one
  stirs them in time--
Words are silence which speaks--
Silent speaking bubbles.

(Translated from the French by Kristen Prevallet)

Subscriber Login

4 ISSUES FREE

Subscribe Now!

The only way to read this article and the full contents of each week's issue of The Nation online is by subscribing to the magazine. Subscribe now and read this article -- and every article published since for the past five years -- right now.

There's no obligation -- try The Nation for four weeks free.

.
Most Read

Issues »

Most Emailed

Issues »

Popular Topics

Blogs

» And Another Thing

Can you help "Nickie"? | Bringing the abortion "debate" down to earth
Katha Pollitt
Posted 36 minutes ago

» State of Change

Georgia Runoff is About More Than Filibusters | A Democratic win in this tough race would signal an important shift in southern politics.
John Nichols
Posted at 2:17 PM ET

» The Notion

DC to Delhi: Only Our Missiles -- Not Yours | What is Rice going to say to India: only DC not Delhi is allowed to bomb Pakistan?
Laura Flanders

» Act Now!

World AIDS Day | How to help in the fight against the AIDS pandemic.
Peter Rothberg

» The Beat

Why Obama's Got "Complete Confidence" In Clinton | She won't bring the change his backers believed in. But Obama never really shared that belief.
John Nichols

» Editor's Cut

Robert Gates: Wrong Man for the Job | What we need after eight ruinous years is experience informed by good judgment.
Katrina vanden Heuvel

» The Dreyfuss Report

Obama's New Team at State, Defense, NSC | And some comments about why John Brennan didn't get the CIA job.
Robert Dreyfuss

» Passing Through

Forget GM's Plan -- Where's The Government's Plan? | Create a demand for green cars.
Jane Hamsher

» Capitolism

Is Personnel Policy? | How much do personnel choices reflect the Obama administration's policy direction
Christopher Hayes