Jacques Prévert

Family Portrait

Mama knits
The son goes to war
She finds it all perfectly natural, Mama
And Papa, what is he doing? Papa?
He is making little deals
His wife knits
His son goes to war
He is making little deals
He finds it all perfectly natural, Papa
And the son, the son
What does the son find?
The son finds absolutely nothing, the son
For the son the war his Mama the knitting his Papa
     little deals for him the war
He will make little deals, he and his Papa
The war continues Mama continues she knits
Papa continues he carries on his activity
The son is killed he no longer carries on
Papa and Mama go to the cemetery
They find it all perfectly natural, Papa and Mama
Life continues life with knitting war little deals
Deals war knitting war
Deals deals activity
Life along with the cemetery.

fr. Jacques Prévert, Paroles

tr., Harriet Zinnes in Blood and Feathers:
Selected Poems of Jacques Prévert