Talleyrand by François Gérard

Talleyrand by François Gérard:  a Crippled Sonnet

……………~ commonswikimedia.org

He isn’t looking quite askance at us
From oils and frame.  The gilt surrounding trim,
The mouldings, desk, rectangle-rimmed canvas)
Are as close as he’ll allow shame near him.
Proximity to guilt was not his style.
He wears or sits among mild orangey-pink,
Aristocratic blue, a ribbon vile
As blood from guillotines—and a wink
Of off-white lace around his cuffs—warm brown
On walls and even green.  In brief, he
Refuses to be written or pinned down
To one Estate, except the free
Estate of medal-round-the-neck seeming
And velvet-smooth mendacious scheming.

This poem is part of a shorter sonnet sequence within this large sonnet sequence called The Encyclopedia Sonnetica.  The shorter sonnet sequence is called “Encased in Silk.”  I recommend you read this poem where it is set in its sonnet sequence.  To do that, search for “Encased in Silk” here in The Encyclopedia Sonnetica.

by phillipw | May 31, 2020 | CH, FR, GE, PA, Ta | 0 comments