Le jour se fait

Se fait jour
N’ai-je vu dans la nuit
Que l’ennui
N’ai-je nui à ces jours
Là où le jour naît j’ai séjourné
Sage j’ai pris la lumière
Après avoir mesuré l’ombre
Passage obligé de tous ceux qui vous sont obligés
Le jour se fait
Ses effets me jouent des tours
Tel un cavalier je prends le roi
Doux échec ma reine
Suis-je devenu fou…

 

MOMENTOM ÉDITIONS

 

This poem by Alain delves into existential themes through imagery and metaphors connected to light and shadow, day and night. The title, Le jour se fait, evokes the idea of the gradual emergence of clarity, meaning, or even truth, as it unfolds throughout the poem.

The opening line, Se fait jour, conveys a sense of transition, as if light is slowly emerging from the night, perhaps symbolizing a realization or mental clarity. The subsequent question, N’ai-je vu dans la nuit que l’ennui ? suggests that the period of darkness preceding the light was marked by uncertainty and weariness, prompting the reader to reflect on the stagnation of the soul in obscurity.

The lines N’ai-je nui à ces jours and Là où le jour naît j’ai séjourné reveal an ambivalence between self-reflection and resilience. The speaker appears to question their influence over time, being both an actor and an observer of their own existence. Shadow thus becomes an essential passage, a condition that gives meaning to light, a prerequisite for clarity to emerge.

The image of the rider taking the king and the mention of the queen introduce a playful, almost Shakespearean dimension to the poem, where internal conflict and power dynamics are enacted through royal figures. The expression doux échec highlights a contrast between victory and defeat, suggesting a fragile balance between control and loss.

The final question, Suis-je devenu fou… , leaves room for uncertainty and self-doubt, infusing the poem with a philosophical reflection on the search for meaning and the fragility of reason.