APOLLINAIRE Guillaume (1880-1918)

Lot 305
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12000 - 15000 EUR
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Result : 30 314EUR
APOLLINAIRE Guillaume (1880-1918)
Autograph letter signed to LOU with poem, drawing and two small calligrams. June 21, 1915, to Lou [Louise de Coligny-Châtillon]; 2 pages in-4 (split at fold repaired). Magnificent letter, largely unpublished. Apollinaire is happy to know that Lou is near Toutou (Lou's other lover), and he thinks of them: "I would like to blow my little whistle with two holes. Chagrined that Toutou takes him "for a cardboard soldier and makes fun of me", he defends himself, arguing that "the best things are done with the most unexpected": Christ chose ignorant fishermen for apostles, and "people of letters have always made a good fi gure in war," so Choderlos de Laclos, Reveroni de Saint-Cyr were in the artillery, Andréa de Nerciat, Blessebois (the author of Rut ou la pudeur éteinte), Sygognes, Agrippa d'Aubigné, Vigny, etc. were soldiers, and most of them offi cers. He tells her about his encounters at the front with other poets, literary men, people of letters. "The number of literary men who are simple soldiers in the present war is no more rare than that of famous artists, who are also simple soldiers at the moment"... "However, what bothers is the lack of a reference point and also the feeling that one has a lot of fun in the rear. I always stick to the moral regime of the water lily". And he wishes "that an ideal sandwiching joins me to you and to Toutou", by recalling that he is in sector 69. He is "as good as new", and he is hopeful of a future appointment as a non-commissioned officer : "that would put a stop to Toutou, who thinks I'm a cardboard soldier" ... "the war starts again. The woods are still very beautiful, they do not participate in the anger of men. However the flowers of the fields extinguish their colours, only the azure flame of the cornflower pierces the wheat and from the gardens already emerges the periscope of the fleur de lys". After telling the funny story of a non-commissioned officer suffering from a "Venus kick", he announces: "25 copies of Case d'armons have been published and some copies have been placed. I will place all of them except those I will give away. He misses Lou's letters... He sends her "a little poem as an interlude". In red ink, he drew an airplane and wrote: "Lou is a charming child [...] Lou is the eighth wonder of the world", as well as a calligram in the shape of an ivy leaf: "Ivy, ivy, grass of fi ne, grass of tenderness". A small poem accompanies the drawing of the plane: "Crystal plane / beautiful fruits of the sky that sings / little Lou with a good heart / There are also blue dragonflies / simple softness of the clouds so white and so round". This is followed by a beautiful love poem of about thirty verses: "Is it time to climb higher than our ideal The hours are beautiful languid flowers The deflating spring moves away There below and sometimes still turns to smile at me And in the fields the poppies fade away while violating themselves And while spreading an opiate smell I contemplate your absence and your silence [...] I am here to sing songs for you In combat I will cover you with trophies I am only waiting for love" ... Another calligram illustrates the letter, in the form of a fl eur: "Gather quickly this fl eur / take quickly the flap of cloud that I give / In this deep night of adorable June".
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