Life in Suspension
La Vie Suspendue
Devotedly Euro-American, schooled in language, literature, verse, acting, and the working parts of script, Hélène Cardona first wrote this bilingual collection in English and then delivered the French translation. A citizen of the United States, France, and Spain, she earned a master’s degree in American Literature from the Sorbonne and fellowships from the Goethe-Institut and Universidad Internacional de Andalucia. En passant, Cardona’s movie-star beauty pales next to her writing and intellect.
Woodwork
If I could gather all the sadness of the world,
all the sadness inside me
into a gourd,
I’d shake it once in a while
and let it sing,
let it remind me of who I used to be,
bless it for what it taught me
and stare at it lovingly
for not seeping out of its container.
Travail d’orfèvre
Si je pouvais rassembler toute la tristesse du monde
toute la tristesse enfouie en mon sein
à l’intérieur d’une gourde,
je la secouerais de temps en temps
pour qu’elle chante
et me rappelle qui j’étais.
Je la bénirais pour ce qu’elle m’a appris
et la regarderais avec amour
pour qu’elle ne s’échappe pas de son récipient.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
