UN COUP DE DÉS

                          JAMAIS

                                                                                                             QUAND BIEN MÊME LANCÉ DANS DES CIRCONSTANCES
                                                                                                                       ÉTERNELLES
                                                                                                                  DU FOND D’UN NAUFRAGE

  SOIT
            que
          l’Abîme
            blanchi
       étale
   furieux
                   sous une inclinaison
                        plane désespérément
          d’aile
      la sienne
                                                                                                                 par avance retombée d’un mal à dresser le vol
                                                                                                    et couvrant les jaillissements
                                                                                                             coupant au ras les bonds
                                                                                                               très à l’intérieur résume
                                                                                                            l’ombre enfouie dans la profondeur par cette voile alternative
                                                                                                            jusqu’adapter
                                                                                                                  à l’envergure
                                                                                                               sa béante profondeur en tant que la coque
                                                                                                         d’un bâtiment
                                                                                                           penché de l’un ou l’autre bord

                     LE MAÎTRE
                 surgi
                                                                                                              hors d’anciens calculs
     inférant
                                                                                                                  où la manœuvre avec l’âge oubliée
                                                                                                                           jadis il empoignait la barre
                     de cette conflagration à ses pieds
                                                                                                         de l’horizon unanime
                         que se prépare
                                                                                                                             s’agite et mêle
                                                                                                                    au poing qui l’étreindrait
               comme on menace un destin et les vents
   l’unique Nombre qui ne peut pas être un autre
                                                                                                                           Esprit
                                                                                                       pour le jeter
                                                                                                                dans la tempête
                                                                                                                   en reployer la division et passer fier
 hésite
        cadavre par le bras écarté du secret qu’il détient
      plutôt
           que de jouer
          en maniaque chenu
             la partie
          au nom des flots
                                                                                                                             un envahit le chef
                                                                                                              coule en barbe soumise
     naufrage cela direct de l’homme
                                                                                                                sans nef
                                                                                                             n’importe
                                                                                                    où vaine

         ancestralement à n’ouvrir pas la main
  crispée
     par-delà l’inutile tête
              legs en la disparition
                       à quelqu’un
              ambigu
        l’ultérieur démon immémorial
  ayant
             de contrées nulles
                        induit
           le vieillard vers cette conjonction suprême avec la probabilité
  celui
            son ombre puérile
                 caressée et polie et rendue et lavée
                        assouplie par la vague et soustraite
             aux durs os perdus entre les ais
                 né
                   d’un ébat
               la mer par l’aïeul tentant ou l’aïeul contre la mer
                  une chance oiseuse
  Fiançailles
dont
    le voile d’illusion rejailli leur hantise
ainsi que le fantôme d’un geste
       chancellera
   s’affalera
                folie

                          N’ABOLIRA

  COMME SI
          Une insinuation simple
                au silence enroulée avec ironie
                                                                                                           ou
                                                                                                    le mystère
                                                                                                      précipité
                                                                                                                            hurlé
       dans quelque proche tourbillon d’hilarité et d’horreur
                    voltige autour du gouffre
                                                                                                               sans le joncher
                                                                                                           ni fuir
                                                                                                                et en berce le vierge indice
                                                                                                          COMME SI

            plume solitaire éperdue
                                                                                                        sauf que la rencontre ou l’effleure une toque de minuit
                                                                                                                 et immobilise
                                                                                                    au velours chiffonné par un esclaffement sombre
                                                                                                                    cette blancheur rigide
                                                                                                                     dérisoire
                                                                                                       en opposition au ciel
                                                                                                          trop
                                                                                                              pour ne pas marquer
                                                                                                    exigüment
                                                                                                                          quiconque
                                                                                                        prince amer de l’écueil
                                                                                                                 s’en coiffe comme de l’héroïque
                                                                                                                      irrésistible mais contenu
                                                                                                                   par sa petite raison virile
                                                                                                       en foudre

                        soucieux
          expiatoire et pubère
     muet
                                                                                                                             rire
                                                                                                           que
                                                                                                     SI
La lucide et seigneuriale aigrette de vertige
            au front invisible
                  scintille
      puis ombrage
                      une stature mignonne ténébreuse debout
      en sa torsion de sirène
                                                                                                         le temps
                                                                                                                         de souffleter
        par d’impatientes squames ultimes bifurquées
                                                                                                       un roc
                                                                                                       faux manoir
                                                                                                        tout de suite
                                                                                                                         évaporé en brumes
                                                                                                         qui imposa
                                                                                                                           une borne à l’infini

                      C'ÉTAIT
       issu stellaire LE NOMBRE
                                                                                                            EXISTÂT-IL
                                                                                                              autrement qu’hallucination éparse d’agonie
                                                                                                           COMMENÇÂT-IL ET CESSÂT-IL
                                                                                                              sourdant que nié et clos quand apparu
                                                                                                              enfin
                                                                                                                  par quelque profusion répandue en rareté
                                                                                                      SE CHIFFRÂT-IL
                                                                                                             évidence de la somme pour peu qu’une
                                                                                                                    ILLUMINÂT-IL
        CE SERAIT
           pire
                      non
  davantage ni moins
                        indifféremment mais autant

                           LE HASARD

                                                                                                           Choit
                                                                                                          la plume
                                                                                                              rythmique suspens du sinistre
                                                                                                                          s’ensevelir
                                                                                                             aux écumes orginelles
                                                                                                                  naguères d’où sursauta son délire jusqu’à une cime
                                                                                                       flétrie
                                                                                                                       par la neutralité identique du gouffre

      RIEN
     de la mémorable crise
  ou se fût
   l’évènement accompli en vue de tout résultat nul
                                                                                                    humain
                                                                                                                      N’AURA EU LIEU
                                                                                                          une élévation ordinaire verse l’absence
                                                                                                       QUE LE LIEU
                                                                                                                      inférieur clapotis quelconque comme pour disperser l’acte vide
                                                                                                    abruptement qui sinon
                                                                                                           par son mensonge
                                                                                                       eût fondé
                                                                                                                           la perdition
                                                                                                                   dans ces parages
                                                                                                     du vague
                                                                                                                 en quoi toute réalité se dissout

             EXCEPTÉ
           à l’altitude
  PEUT-ÊTRE
        aussi loin qu’un endroit fusionne avec au-delà
                                                                                                         hors l’intérêt
                                                                                                                           quant à lui signalé
                                                                                                                        en général
                                                                                                                         selon telle obliquité par telle déclivité
                                                                                                                           de feux
                                                                                                                        vers
                                                                                                           ce doit être
                                                                                                            le Septentrion aussi Nord
                                                                                                                   UNE CONSTELLATION
                                                                                                           froide d’oubli et de désuétude
                                                                                                    pas tant
                                                                                                           qu’elle n’énumère
                                                                                                                 sur quelque surface vacante et supérieure
                                                                                                      le heurt successif
                                                                                                                        sidéralement
                                                                                                           d’un compte total en formation
                                                                                                           veillant
                                                                                                     doutant
                                                                                                                roulant
                                                                                                                          brillant et méditant
                                                                                                       avant de s’arrêter
                                                                                                    à quelque point dernier qui le sacre
                                                                                                                             Toute Pensée émet un Coup de Dés



[Stéphane Mallarmé, poème paru en 1897 dans la revue Cosmopolis puis publié en 1914 dans La Nouvelle Revue Française.]