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He bent right down to pick up his valise
When masons clutch the breath we held on loan
The showman gargles fire and sword with ease
Which neither time nor tide can long postpone
To one sweet hour of bliss my memory clings
Rejecting ermine to become a knave
Th'outrageous Thames a troubled arrow slings
The nicest kids for strickiest toffees crave
The peasants's skirts on rainy days she'd tress
One tongue will do to keep the verse agog
On wheels the tourist follows hos hostess
Bard I adore your endless monologue
Where no one bothered how one warmed one's bum
A wise loaf always knows its humblest crumb


Raymond Queneau

Translation to English by Stanley Chapman
found in "Oulipo Compendium"
Atlas 1998, ISBN 0-947757-96-1

Idea and implementation by Magnus Bodin 1997
Produced in the wonderful country of Sweden.