For Carson McCullers

Which is my little boy, which is he,
Jean qui pleure ou Jean qui rit?

Jean qui rit is my delicate John,
the one with the Chinese slippers on,

whose hobbyhorse in a single bound
carries me back to native ground.

But Jean qui pleure is mystérieux
with sorrows older than Naishapur,

with all of the stars and all of the moons
mirrored in little silver spoons.

Which is my little boy, which is he,
Jean qui pleure ou Jean qui rit?