L'auto-stoppeur de Galilée

Baudelaire used to come                                      Baudelaire avait l'habitude de venir

to our house and watch                                        chez nous et de me regarder

me grind coffee.                                                  moudre du café.

That was in 1939                                                 C'était en 1939

and we lived in the slums                                     et nous vivions dans les taudis

of Tacoma.                                                         de Tacoma.

My mother would put                                          Ma mère mettait

the coffee beans in the grinder.                             les grains de café dans le moulin.

I was a child                                                        J'étais enfant

and would turn the handle,                                   et tournais la poignée,

pretending that it was                                           faisant comme si c'était

  a hurdy-gurdy,                                                   un orgue de Barbarie,

and Baudelaire would pretend                               et Baudelaire faisait comme si

that he was a monkey,                                          il était un singe,

hopping up and down                                           sautant de tous côtés

and holding out                                                    en présentant

a tin cup.                                                             une tasse en fer blanc.

When I was a child                                               Quand j'étais enfant

I had a graveyard                                                  j'avais un cimetière

where I buried insects                                           où j'enterrais des insectes

and dead birds under                                            et des oiseaux morts sous

a rose tree.                                                           un rosier.

I would bury the insects                                        J'enterrais les insectes

in tin foil and match boxes.                                   dans du papier d'argent et des boîtes d'allumettes.

I would bury the birds                                           J'enterrais les oiseaux

in pieces of red cloth.                                           dans des morceaux de toile rouge.

It was all very sad                                                 Tout cela était très triste

and I would cry                                                    et je pleurais

as I scooped the dirt                                             quand je pelletais la terre

into their small graves                                           dans leurs petites tombes

with a spoon.                                                       avec une cuiller.

Baudelaire would come                                        Baudelaire arrivait

and join in                                                           et se joignait

my insect funerals,                                               à mes funérailles d'insectes

saying little prayers                                              disant de petites prières

the size of                                                           de la taille

dead birds.                                                          d'oiseaux morts.

Richard Brautigan

traduction : Éric Dejaeger