It is true…
A precocious poet
Public and private,
Unique verve and eloquent
Classicism tempered by
A grasp of modernist
And the vicissitudes of fashion.
Rebellious kinky hair,
Antennae like
Protruding ears
Always in motion
A jittery jaguar
A lyric movement
A dynamic rhythmic body,
Forever pacing - proclaims
"Let’s get our dreams unstuck"
Whilst a self conscious artist
The pen draws
Books are written,
Plays are acted.
Through the
“Blood of the Poet”
Films are made.
Stravinsky,
Diaghilev,
Coco Chanel
known as Les Six.
Through turbulent times
Rocked by scandal,
Reoccurring broken dreams
lost loves
Triumph
and
Tragedy
In the company of
Ecstasy to opium,
Some jealous,
Call him robber,
Call him liar,
"Yes, but of course,
They are right
For the wrong reasons,
Ces, cons-la’!"
in which we send
our poems,
our art,
our reviews
“I’d take the fire”,
said
The
French
poet,
writer,
artist,
and
film maker
life is theater
theater is life.
Jean Maurice Eugene Clement Cocteau!
July 05, 1889- October 11, 1963
fin d'une époque
The intriguing intersection of lives: The artist Jean Cocteau died of a heart attack at age 74 at his chateau in Milly-la-Foret, France after hearing the news of the death of another friend, the singer Edith Piaf. Cocteau, chivalrous at the last, obeyed the rule of ladies first. "Ah, la Piaf est morte," he said on the morning of October 11 1963. "Je peux mourir aussi." [Ah, Piaf's dead. I can die too."] And then he promptly died of a heart attack. Or so legend has it.
Edith Piaf and Jean Cocteau , 1938
The quotes were from Jean Cocteau. A literature monthly posed the question to several writers: If your house was burning down and you could take away one thing,what would it be?" Replied Cocteau, "I'd take the fire." and I believe as others that he did.photo credits: scanned images: 1st image by Man Ray 1926, Cocteau drew his hand holding his own image.
2nd image by Paul Thevenaz of Jean Cocteau, 1917. 3rd image by Jean Hugo of Jean Cocteau and his muse. 4th image Poster from film "Blood of the Poet'.
5th image, a letter from Picasso to Cocteau-with a penned cartoon of Olga Picasso, Cocteau, and the Cubist Master.
6th image Coco Chanel , she was closely involved with Jean Cocteau for over forty years. Coco designed her first theater costumes for Jean, provided him with places to live, supported his attempts to give up opium and helped bury his deceased lovers.
7th image via the Book Opium and the drawing by Cocteau to depict the agonies of addiction.
8th image Cocteau smoking opium. , 1938,.
9th image The hard core surrealist who were Cocteau's implacable tormentors throughout the 1920's left to right, Tristan Tzara, Andre' Breton, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, & Man Ray. rear: Paul Eluard, Jean Hans Arp., Yves Tanguy, and Rene' Crevel.
10th image of Jean Cocteau in his last years, and last11th image Edith Piaf and Jean Cocteau by Serge Lido , 1938.
poem without images,
Le style est l'homme meme
“Style is the man”
It is true…
A precocious poet
Public and private,
Unique verve and eloquent
Classicism tempered by
A grasp of modernist
And the vicissitudes of fashion
With his
Rebellious kinky hair,
Antennae like
Protruding ears
Always in motion
A jittery jaguar
A lyric movement
A dynamic rhythmic body,
Forever pacing - proclaims
"Let’s get our dreams unstuck"
With a wave of the muse's magic wand,
Whilst a self conscious artist
The pen draws
Books are written,
Plays are acted.
Through the
“Blood of the Poet”
Films are made.
A friend of Picasso,
A collaborator with Satie,
Stravinsky, Diaghilev
Coco Chanel
And a group of composers
known as Les Six.
Through turbulent times
Rocked by scandal,
Reoccurring broken dreams
lost loves
In the company of
Ecstasy to opium,
Some jealous,
Call him robber,
Call him liar,
Yes, but of course,
They are right
For the wrong reasons,
Ces, cons-la’!
There is this void
in which we send
our poems,
our art,
our reviews
“I’d take the fire”,
said
The
French
poet,
writer,
artist,
and
film maker
life is theater
theater is life
Jean Maurice Eugene Clement Cocteau!
fin d'une époque
