The writings of Denise Desautels have circulated in Quebec and Europe for some thirty years. She is considered one of the most talented poets in Quebec, often taking inspiration from the visual arts. As her translator, I was very conscious of this aspect of her work, and when various choices arose in the course of the translation process, I almost always opted for the most pictorial or the most visual element possible. "A picture is worth a thousand words" as the saying goes, but the picture, once created, can give rise in the poet's mind to metaphors and "word art"...