Henri Michaux - Le Prince de la Nuit, 1937

Prince of the Night

Prince of the night, of the double,
of the star-gland,
of the seat of Death,
of the useless column,
of the supreme question;

Prince of the broken crown,
of the divided reign, of the wooden hand.

Petrified prince in a panther's robe.
Lost prince.


(Painting: Le Prince de la Nuit, 1937, 33x25 cm, gouache on black background, Musée national d'art moderne, Paris; Poem: Peintures, G.L.M., 1937).