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.]