let us hear the smile

LET US HEAR THE SMILE


Rameau lets us hear the smile
of Voltaire; let me emulate
his talent, trying to beguile
my music mistress and my mate.

I wish that she could hear my smile
as she can see the written word
I conjure, trying to beguile
all readers who have never heard
the smiling sounds jump from my pages
like a princess who awakes,
having been asleep for ages––
for smiles are all that waking takes.

In a review of the recorded music of Jean-Philippe Rameau (“Paying Court to a Wry Master of the French Baroque,” the NYT, April 7, 2000), Paul Griffiths writes: “Rameau lets us hear Voltaire’s smile.”

I revised this poem in 1/26/10, while listening to a suite from Rameau’s “Pygmalion” on KUSC, introduced by Alan Chapman. The Vorlage of this poem, written in 4/7/00, is:

I wish that you could hear my smile
as you can see the written word
I conjure, trying to beguile
the readers who have never heard
sounds of smiling jump from pages
like a princess who awakes,
having been asleep for ages––
smiles are all it really takes.

4/7/00