At the Heart of the City

aerial view of geneva — Geneva, aerial view, around 1927: the Rhône river, between the island (l'Ile) and the Mont-Blanc bridge. BGE - inv vg p 2027

Literal translation of the poem “Au cœur de la ville” by Jean-Michel Perret.

At the heart of the city there is the temple
At the heart of the temple there is the choir
At the heart of the choir there is space
And the echo of elsewhere

At the heart of the sky there is the wind
At the heart of the wind there is the spirit
At the heart of the spirit there is momentum
And the welcoming shore

At the heart of the harbour there are the boats
At the heart of the boats there are the logs
At the heart of the logs there are the rings
And the time that goes by

At the heart of humanity there is the Word
At the heart of the Word there is hope
At the heart of hope there is praise
And the rediscovered joy

Poem by Jean-Michel Perret adapted from the song “Au cœur de l’arbre” (“At the Heart of the Tree”) by Maurice Cocagnac / Graeme Allwright.

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