The Deaf and Blind

Paul Eluard 1895 (Saint-Denis) – 1952 (Charenton-le-Pont)



Do we reach the sea with clocks
In our pockets, with the noise of the sea
In the sea, or are we the carriers
Of a purer and more silent water?

The water rubbing against our hands sharpens knives.
The warriors have found their weapons in the waves
And the sound of their blows is like
The rocks that smash the boats at night.

It is the storm and the thunder. Why not the silence
Of the flood, for we have dreamt within us
Space for the greatest silence and we breathe
Like the wind over terrible seas, like the wind

That creeps slowly over every horizon.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 31, 2023

32 sec read
116

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXXX XXXX XXXX X
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 561
Words 109
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 1

Paul Eluard

Paul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel, was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement. more…

All Paul Eluard poems | Paul Eluard Books

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