Le cancre

Jacques Prévert 1900 (Neuilly-sur-Seine) – 1977 (Omonville-la-Petite)



Il dit non avec la tête
mais il dit oui avec le coeur
il dit oui à ce qu’il aime
il dit non au professeur
il est debout
on le questionne
et tous les problèmes sont posés
soudain le fou rire le prend
et il efface tout
les chiffres et les mots
les dates et les noms
les phrases et les pièges
et malgré les menaces du maître
sous les huées des enfants prodiges
avec les craies de toutes les couleurs
sur le tableau noir du malheur
il dessine le visage du bonheur.
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Submitted by davidb on September 18, 2017

Modified on April 30, 2023

27 sec read
2,007

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBADEAFGEEHEEBB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 454
Words 93
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 17

Jacques Prévert

Jacques Prévert (French: [ʒak pʁevɛʁ]; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist movement, and include "Les Enfants du Paradis" (1945). more…

All Jacques Prévert poems | Jacques Prévert Books

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1 Comment
  • david_b2
    I remember being taught that poetry by heart at school
    LikeReply 23 years ago

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"Le cancre" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/46260/le-cancre>.

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