Henri Monnier’s Cat Poetry Giveaway: 2 Poems

Henri Monnier’s Cat Poetry Giveaway: 2 Poems

I decided to wait a couple of days before posting the poems to make sure everyone would see the main post for the giveaway.

Then, when I was ready for my human to post the poems… she was busy reading. She devoted her free time to finishing the lovely book Love Saves the Day, which she absolutely wanted to finish once she had started it!

Anyway, when my human interviewed Henri Monnier, author and publisher of the books you can win, he authorized her to copy and translate 2 poems on my blog, for my readers. All rights reserved.

My human tried her best to translate the two poems I chose, but she thinks a little is lost (most of the time) in translation, especially in poetry with rhymes and sometimes a certain number of feet. Also many words in French which have the syllable “cha” (sounding like “chat” or cat in French), used purposefully by the author, are lost in the translation.

The first poem is a tribute to ladies who give food to feral cats. The poem can be found in the collection of poems “Les Chats de Saint-Sulpice.”

Discrete Charity Charité discrète
I will never say it enough
Oh! all the good we must think of
Brave ladies with their fragile hearts
That travel all the city parts,
To bring enough to erring cats
To let them pounce on this and that.
Je ne dirai jamais assez
Tout le bien qu’il nous faut penser
Des braves dames au cœur fragile
Qui s’en vont à travers la ville,
Apporter aux chats vagabonds
De quoi faire encore quelques bonds.
They don’t care ’bout those mocking them
People with very little brain,
And other, bigger fish to fry,
The weather might be wet or dry
These ladies leave some sustenance
To cats considered a nuisance.
Indifférentes aux railleries
Des gens qui n’ont que peu d’esprit,
Et d’autres chats à fouetter,
On les voit hiver comme été
Déposer quelque subsistance
Aux animaux de la malchance.
All these cats with so sad a fate
Were abandoned on any date
Because of undignified people,
They hope for a sign or signal
To be happy just like before,
Is it a plea you can ignore?
Tous ces chats au triste destin
Abandonnés un beau matin
Par la faute de gens indignes,
Ils n’attendent de vous qu’un signe
Pour être heureux tout comme avant,
N’est-ce pas un peu émouvant.
If you have a delicate heart
To give your smile, it would be smart
To the aspiring old lady
Who heals a cat, or a doggie,
And even if it is not much
Your act is a good cause as such.
Si vous avez le cœur sensible
Souriez tant qu’il est possible
A la vieille dame qui vient
Soigner un chat, peut-être un chien,
Et même si c’est peu de chose
Vous servirez la bonne cause.
She got no legion of honor,
Never does she get a flower,
She finds her very own reward
In always being straightforward
And she takes from her small pension
What she needs for her good action.
Elle n’a pas la légion d’honneur,
Jamais elle ne reçoit de fleurs,
Elle trouve sa récompense
En agissant comme elle pense
Et prend sur sa maigre pension
De quoi faire sa bonne action.
She is discrete in her process
She never does try to impress
But do not think for a second
That she doesn’t like the children,
She only endeavors to say
In her own way, a little prayer.
C’est une personne discrète
Qui ne cherche pas à paraitre,
Mais ne croyez pas pour autant
Qu’elle n’aime pas les enfants,
Elle essaie seulement de faire
A sa manière, une prière.



The second one is about how we, kitties, need to be loved, too. It can be found in “Sa Majesté le Chat.”

Cuddles Cajoleries
Jumping about, pouncing, running,
Having fun with next to nothing
You’re so fragile, as you snuggle,
Yet wonderfully indocile
You’re looking for some affection;
Playing the card of seduction,
Like nobody has done before
And when it works you purr some more.
Tu bondis, tu vas et viens,
En t’amusant d’un presque rien
Et tu te blottis, si fragile,
Merveilleusement indocile
En quête d’un peu d’affection ;
La carte de la séduction,
Tu la joues bien mieux que personne
Et quand c’est parti, tu ronronnes.
You make the most of the torrent
Of cuddles and the contentment
Of my strokes that bring you calmness,
You’re so looking for tenderness
You are using all the assets
That only nice tomcats possess,
We are always caught in your game
You too need to be loved the same.
Tu profites nonchalamment
Des câlins et de l’agrément
Que te procurent les caresses,
Tu recherches tant la tendresse
En usant de tous les atouts
Que possède un gentil matou,
On est pris à ton stratagème,
Toi aussi, t’as besoin qu’on t’aime.

****You have until tomorrow 11.59 pm to enter the giveaway here. Please enter via Rafflecopter if you want to win one of these books! Good luck everyone!****

Henri Monnier’s Cat Poetry & Denis Boissier’s Cat Illustrations + a Giveaway!

Henri Monnier’s Cat Poetry & Denis Boissier’s Cat Illustrations + a Giveaway!

About a year ago (I think), my human’s mother went to a book fair in Paris and bought the following books. She sent them to my human and my human and I loved them very much. So we gave a mission to my human’s Mom: get some more copies so I can share them with you, my furriends. I’m glad to say that she completed the mission successfully. Thank you! =^.^=

These are small books (less than 20 pages, except for “Les chats de Saint Sulpice” which is a collection of the others) but very nice books of poetry and illustrations on cats. There are 4 different books of poetry on cats. Oh and yes, there is one on dogs, too.

The poetry is in French. Those who know French will really appreciate the talent of the poet, Henri Monnier, and the way he is playing with words. Poems are sometimes funny, sometimes moving, sometimes both and much more. We can really feel a true cat lover behind the plume.

If you don’t speak French very well or not at all, you can use them to practice ;-) But the books are also full of beautiful black & white illustrations (a couple in color) by artist Denis Boissier.

In any case, it will fit nicely in your cat books collection! And they are not really easy to find, even in France!

Tomorrow, I will feature two poems, both in French and with a tentative translation from my human. Today, I am featuring an interview with the author and publisher, Henri Monnier. He was nice enough to talk on the phone with my human last December.

*** What do you have to do to win one or more of these beautiful books? Use the Rafflecopter widget at the bottom of this post! Answer the two questions and follow the other options if you want to win more chances of winning. The giveaway will end on Saturday and the winners will be announced on Sunday!
The giveaway is opened to all countries. There are several prizes to win: 3 sets of 4 poem books on cats, 3 poem books on dogs, and 1 collection book of the poems on cats. ***

Now here is the interview with Henri Monnier.

Could you introduce yourself and talk a bit about the books?

I am 81. I am a publisher and I had the opportunity to work with many artists. I have many French as well as foreign artist friends. As a publisher, I dedicated myself to artists.

I wrote on several subjects. I wrote poetry on life, love, death. Cats made the most successful subject though, and they helped me get noticed and better known. Some of my poems were even published by Hachette. Thanks to cats, the public learned about me.

Cats always have a lot of success!

My poems on cats come from my collaboration with an artist friend, Denis Boissier. Unfortunately, he died too young. He was drawing illustrations of cats [those in the books] and I wrote the poems to go with them. He was an incredibly talented artist!

Can you tell us a little more about the cats that shared your life?

I had many cats during my entire life. Next to my workshop, there is a little garden and stray and feral cats always come. You give then food and they come back. Sometimes they stay. They climb on the roof to bask in the sun, they walk in the garden. They generally come one at a time. In winter, sometimes they come near the stove to get warm.

Some never come back. Some cats are absconders. I had a tuxedo cat, a grey cat, and a calico female cat who was insolent! You have to be really patient as far as some cats are concerned. You have to adapt to them.

I have just buried a cat. He died of old age. That’s how things are. Most of my cats lived to be about 15. That’s a nice age compared to 1 or 2 years for a cat abandoned outside.

Cats are wonderful. They have their habits and at the same time they’re full of surprise. Sometimes they hide in places we would never imagine. It keeps us entertained!

I also wrote a book about dogs but it was less successful.

Among your poems, what are your favorites?

My first collection of poems on cats [Caresses et coups de pattes — Strokes and Paw Blows] was the most successful one. The cat from “Lapalissade” [play on words between lapalissade – statement of something obvious – and la palissade – the fence], a stray cat, was very successful. He really existed! He was a neighbor’s cat. Actually, all stories are real cats stories. “Mon chat et moi” [“My Cat and I”] was quite popular too.

See you tomorrow for two poems!

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