Nicole Rechain/Françoise Gerbaulet - peformer "Passe sans Bruit"

Passe sans bruit  -  Passing without a sound

PREMIERE JULY 2004

Babies are ideal spectators

 

I do not write for babies. "Writing for babies" makes me think of a doctor’s prescription, in a society in which much of what is done for babies is a matter of hygiene and safety. There is  also the condescending "for" which is quite similar to the "poetic infantilism" evoked by Bachelard in "Water and Dreams": "In many poets’ writings, brooks go glurg-glurg  in the nursery-like music which much too often limits babies’ minds to baby talk: gee-gee, wee-wee, pooh-pooh. Thus, the brooks in nursery tales written by adults go glug-glug."

One day, I felt like telling babies about the sky. I immediately chose to write haikus, this century-old form of Japanese poetry which attempts to grasp fleeting reality. Nicole Rechain turned them into a play, "Graines d'étoiles". So impressive was the reaction of the babies that I felt like writing other haikus for her to tell babies about an invisible, powerful giant: Time.

I am always deeply surprised by the seriousness of infant spectators.

Babies do not understand, they absorb, the sound of voices, the music of words, anxiety, fear, grief, violence, love, they absorb them all.

Poetry does not require understanding from the reader it requires acceptance.

Babies are ideal spectators.

There is an objective similarity between children and writers. They both have to grapple with language. Sooner or later, the writer will have to consider her  language with the eyes of an infant, horror and enchantment.

It is the job of a writer to endeavour to tame and play with this language which moulds us and which we did not choose.

It is a responsibility towards children.

I feel overwhelmed with happiness when I have the feeling that my words could reach the intimate thoughts of infant spectators without voyeurism or demagoguery.

Françoise Gerbaulet, author of "Passe sans bruit"


compagniepointdujour@free.fr
http://air-label.com/pointdujour/
Françoise Gerbaulet - writer"Passe sans Bruit"
gerbolette@aol.com












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