Le Nombril ("The Navel")

un poème de Bonaventure des Périers

(Poètes du xvi^e siècle, Paris, Pléiade, 1953, pp. 335-337)

[with help from George Hoffman]

Petit nombril, milieu et Centre, Non point tant seulement du ventre, Entre les membres enchassé, Mais de tout ce corps compassé, Lequel est souverain chef d'oevre, Où naifvement se descoeuvre L'art de k'ouvrier qui l'a orné, Comme un beau Vase bien tourné, Don’t tu es l'achevement, Et le bout, auquel proprement Celle grand'Chaine d'or des Dieux Tenant au hault nombril des cieux Fut puis par iceulx attachee, et petit à petit laschee, En avallant ca bas au monde Leur Poupine tant pure et munde, Qui leur donna, comme j'entends, Cent mille petis Passetemps Avant qu'elle fut descendue, Et des cieulx en terre rendue, Au reng de ses predecesseurs, Et au beau milieu de ses Soeurs: Les Vertus et Graces benignes.

Little navel, center and middle, not only of the belly, enfolded between the limbs, but of the whole serene body, which is the supreme masterpiece, where the art of the worker who adorned it, like a lovely, well-made vase, innocently shows itself, of which you are the culmination, and the point to which that great golden chain of the gods, fastened on high to the navel of the heavens, was then attached by them, and little by little they let down into the world their baby, so pure and immaculate, who gave them, as I understand, 100,000 little enjoyments before she descended, and returned to earth from the sky, to the ranks of her ancestors, and to the lovely surroundings of her sisters, the virtues and gentle graces.

Petit neu, qui des mains Divines, Apres tout le reste parfaict, As esté le fin dernier faict, Et manié tout freschement Duquel tresheureux touchement La doulce Memoire recente Tant te satisfaict et contente, Qu'à peine à ton plus grand amy Te veulx tu monstrer à demy, Ains te retires tellement Que tu ne parois nullement De peur que pollu tu ne sois Si l'humain touchement recois Qui en toy le Divin efface.

Little knot, you who, after all the rest was created, were made by divine hands, and handled like one newly made, by one the memory of whose happy touch so satisfies and pleases you that you scarcely wish to show even half of yourself to your greatest friend, but withdraw so that you are invisible, out of fear of being soiled if human touch receive what the divine erases in you.

Petit quignet, retraict, et place De souveraine volupté, Où se musse la voulenté De chatouilleuse jouyssance, Qui aux convis d'avantnaissance Servis de bouche au petit corps, Lequel ne mangeoit point pour lors, Ains, par toy sucçoit doulcement Son delicat nourrissement, Dont le petit Poupin croissoit A mesure qu'on le trassoit Au flan gauche de la matrice. O l'ancienne Cicatrice De la rongneure doloreuse, Que deité trop rigoreuse Feit jadis au povre homfenin, Animal sans fiel, ne venin! Lequel, contre toute pitié Fut divisé par la mytié, Et fact d'un entier trop heureux Deux demys corps trop langoreux, Qui depuis sont toujours errans, Et l'un l'autre par tout querans En grand desir d'eulx reünir, N'estoit le honteux souvenir De la divine cruaulté, Qui, nonobstant leur loyaulté, Les vient si fort esfaroucher, Qu'ilz ne s'oseroient approcher Pour rassembler leur Creature Quand ilz se troubent d'adventure, Sinon quelque fois en secret, Où ilz desgorgent le regret Qu'ilz ont de leur perte indicible, Essayans s'il seroit possible Que leurs Nombrilz, ensemble mys, Devinssent un, de deuz Demys, Comme ilz estoient premierement Avant leur desemparement.

Little nook, withdrawn, place of sovereign pleasure, where the desire for titillation hides, which, at the prenatal banquet serves as a mouth for the little body, which eats nothing at that time unless it sweetly sucks its delicate nourishment from you, from which the little babe grows out of the left side of the womb. Oh, the ancient scar of the sad tear, which a too severe deity once made in the poor hermaphrodite, animal without poison or gall! Which was pitilessly cut in half, creating out of one entirely happy being two weary half bodies, who ever since have wandered everywhere, greatly desiring to be reunited, were it not for the shameful memory of divine cruelty, which, in spite of their faithfulness, came to frighten them so much that they would not dare attempt to put their creature back together when they happened to find each other, unless sometimes in secret, when they poured out the regret they felt about their inexpressible loss, trying, if it were possible to unite their navels, so that, placed together, the two navels would become one, as they were in the beginning, before their separation.

Petit bout, petit but unique Où le viser faulx et inique Ne peult attaindre de vitesse, Mais bien li loyal par addresse, S'il ne m'est possible en presence Te voir, au moins en recompense Ay je dequoy penser en toy, Car je trouve ne ne scay quoy En toutes choses de Nature, Ayant la forme et pourtraicture De toy, Nombril, tant gracieux, Et de celuy qui est es cieulx, Quand ne seroit ja que le mien Qu'en memoire de vous je tien Et considere jours et nuicts Pour tout soulas de mes ennuys.

Little bit, little lone object, which can be reached not by false and iniquitous aim, but only by faithful, skillful attention, if it is not possible for me to see you face to face, at least I have something in thinking about you, because I find I do not know anything in all of nature's variety that has the form and shape of you, navel, so gracious, and of him who is in the heavens, when I have nothing but the memory of you, which I contemplate day and night, as solace for my pain.

O nombril! dont l'aise parfaicte Gist au demi qui te souhaite, Lequel jamais ne sera aise Que franchement il ne te baise, En remembrance singuliere De l'union, jadis entiere, Où se peult trouver justement L'heureux poinct de contentement.

O navel! whose perfect relief lies in the half that desires you, who will never be satisfied until he may kiss you openly, in memory of the union, once complete, in which the joyous point of contentment may find itself.