Homage to Cavafy by Duane Michals

Portrait of Cavafy haunted by the ghost of his desire.

L'ouvrage de ce jour est un petit recueil de onze photographies en noir et blanc constitué par le photographe Duane Michals en hommage au poète grec Cavafy. Une photographie est placée en introduction, puis les dix autres sont associées à autant de poèmes de Cavafy, dans leur traduction en anglais. Il n'y a pas de lien entre les deux : « The photographs and captions are not illustrative of Cavafy's poetry. They are separate and sympathetic. ». Duane Michals a complété ces photographies d'une légende, là-aussi sans lien apparent avec les poèmes en regard. Il y a tout de même une relation entre les deux, comme une résonance, de façon indirecte, par la présence de cet homme jeune et beau qui est comme le «ghost of his desire » du poète Cavafy. C'est pour cela qu'un souffle homoérotique traverse ce modeste ouvrage. Chacun pourra choisir la photo qui trouve un écho en lui-même. Pour moi, c'est clairement celle-ci, la première de la série des dix :

The son returned home in the afternoon, but it was too late.
The father had died in the morning.

Two friends are playing cards. One is cheating.

Just to light his cigarette was a great pleasure.

He was unaware that at the exact moment
he removed his undershirt, his body has grown to its perfection.
With his next breath, the moment has passed.

When he was young man, it seemed impossible
that he would ever grow old. Now that he is old, he cannot
remember ever having been young.

There was something between them which they had alwayse sensed,
but it would remain unspoken.

After his shower he dried himself
very carefully. And although he would never admit it,
it had all been for my benefit.

I saw you, but you didn't see me.
You looked right at me, but you didn't see me.
You would never see me.

I could read it quite clearly in his palm. There would be
a terrible tragedy. My love could not protect him.

The old man photographs the young man.

Description de l'ouvrage

Homage to Cavafy by Duane Michals

[Danbury (New-Hampshire)], Addison House, [1978], in-8° (210 x 152 mm), [48] pp, 11 photographies en noir et blanc, jaquette.

Jaquette de l'ouvrage.

Le titre intermédiaire est : « Ten Poems by Constantine Cavafy. Ten photographs by Duane Michals. »

La première photographie se trouve en regard de ce court texte introductif de Duane Michals :

Homage to Cavafy
Constantino Cavafy was a man of great feeling and even greater courage. His poetry was his life. And because he was a man who loved other men, he demonstrated his courage by making public these private passions. He lived then, as we still do today, among those brute people who would literally destroy him both physically and spiritually for the unforgiveable sin of loving the wrong person.
Despite this vulnerability, he wrote about the truth of himself with painful honesty, and the strength of his art protected him and freed others. I salute his courage and thank him for the gift of his life.

Ensuite, l'ouvrage contient une alternance de poèmes et de photographies. Comme on l'a vu, ces photos n'ont pas de liens directs avec les poèmes, mais toutes sont empreintes soit du charme du corps masculin, soit de la difficulté de se voir et de communiquer, les deux pouvant être réunis comme dans la dernière photo de l'ouvrage.