Stuart Barnes



la Méduse

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                       X          XXX                    XXXXXX     XX   XXX    XXX     XX         XXX              X   
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XXX   XX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX     XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXX   XXXXX    XX
XXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX           XX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX       XX
       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX          XXX
           XX  XX    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX                    XX
                XX        XXXXXXXXXX J’ai perdu la beauté qui me XXXXXXXXXX        X      XX
                        XXXXXXXXXX rendit si vaine Je n’ai plus ces XXXXXXXX             XX   XX
                    XXXXXXXXX cheveux si beaux Dont autrefois le XXXXXXXXX            XXX
    XXXXXXXXXXXX Dieu des eaux Sentit lier son cœur d’une XXXXXXXX                X
 XXXXXXXXXXXXX si douce        chaîne Pallas, la         barbare XXXXXX  XXX
      XXX          XXXX Pallas               Fut jalouse de              mes XXXXXX    XXXXXX
           XX      XXXX appas Et         me rendit affreuse         autant XXXXXXXXXXXX
         XX           XXXX que j’étais belle Mais l’excès étonnant de la XXXXXXXXXXX
          X         XX difformité Dont me punit sa cruauté Fera connaître XXXXXXXXXXX      X
                    XXX en dépit d’elle Quel fut l’excès de ma beauté Je XXXXXXXX     XX    XX
                              ne puis trop montrer sa vengeance cruelle Ma XXXXXXX             XXX         
                                  tête est fière encor d’avoir pour ornement XXXXXX
                    XXXXX Des serpents dont le sifflement Excite XXXXXXXXXXX
            XXXXXXXX une frayeur ++++++++++ mortelle XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
              XXXXXXXXX Je porte                                 l’épouvante XXXXXXXXXX
          XXXX       XXXXX et la                                      mort en tous XXXXXXX
      XX   XX  XXXXXXX lieux                                      Tout se XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
  XX  XXXXXXXXXXX change                                     en ro- XXXXXX    XXXXXXXXXX
      XXXXXXXXXXXXXX cher à                                    mon XXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXXX
         XXXX     XXXXXXXXX asp-                                     ect XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
                         XXXXXXXXX horr-                               ible XXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXX
                                   XXXXX Les                              traits XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
                          XXXXXXXXX que                         Jupiter XXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX
                               XXXXXXX lance +++++++ du haut XXXXXXX       XXX  XXXXX
                                       XXXXX des Cieux N’ont rien XXXXXXX        XXXXX  XX
                                                XX de si terrible Qu’un       XXXXXXX       XXXXX     
                        XXXXXXXXXXX      regard de mes         XXXXXXX       XXXX
                                   XXXXXXXX         yeux              XXX   XX  XX      XX XXXX
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(Note: from Philippe Quinault’s libretto for Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Persée

"I have lost the beauty that made me so vain. I no longer have those beautiful tresses that in times past the god of the sea felt binding his heart in such delightful confinement. Pallas, the barbarous Pallas, was jealous of my charms and made me as repulsive as I had been beautiful. But the astonishing excess of the deformity with which her cruelty punishes me will proclaim, in spite of her, how excessive was my beauty. I cannot do enough to display her cruel vengeance. My head is still proud to have as ornaments serpents whose hissing incites a deadly fright. I bring fear and death everywhere; everything turns to stone at my horrible looks. The thunderbolts that Jupiter throws from heaven’s heights are not as terrible as one look from my eyes. The greatest gods of heaven, earth, and sea are counting on me to avenge them. I may have lost the pleasure of being loved by the world, but I have the new delight of becoming its fright.")

Stuart Barnes is arranging the manuscript for his first book of verse, and writing his first novel. Poems are forthcoming in Southerly Journal, The Warwick Review, and The Weekend Australian Review. He lives in Melbourne.
 
 
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