Lost in the fire of last year's Pierrot centennial was translation. After all, it was Otto Erich Hartleben's German--translated from the original French of Albert Giraud--that Arnold Schoenberg had set.
And with Stanley Appelbaum's Anglicised Hartleben turning 20 next year (not to mention having its own Twitter account@PierrotTweets), Classicalite figured a new English language translation was passed due.
Into the shiny head of Cassander, Whose cries pierce the air, Pierrot, with hypocritical looks, Tenderly inserts -- a trephine!
— Pierrot (@PierrotTweets) June 2, 2011
To wit, for the next 21 weekdays, we'll be offering a new take on each of Giraud/Hartleben/Appelbaum's 3x7 poems...alongside some of our favorite performances.
CRUEL TRICK
Into Cassander's gleaming skull,
Him screaming bloody murder,
Pierrot bores like a hypocrite--
A tender trepan.
He then shoves with his thumb
Real Turkish tobacco
Into Cassander's gleaming skull,
Him screaming bloody murder.
And then he screws a cherry pipe stem
Into the back of the bald, polished head.
At his ease, Pierrot puffs
Real Turkish tobacco
Out of Cassander's gleaming skull!
Up next: "Parodie"
