I was fifteen- soon to be sixteen- years old ; I had been reading (important) books about science, physics, philosophy , and other similar topics, and all those ideas in my head intermingled and inspired me to write a poem involving particle physics and particle collisions and combining elements of science and philosophy .
I wrote the poem in French , using the French alexandrine poetic meter of twelve syllables, but I didn’t follow the poetic rules very closely.
I will provide the final version of the poem here , with a line by line English translation. Different people have different tastes and opinions , I hope it will be liked .
The hydrogen-1 atom mentioned in the title of the poem is also called “protium” , but this last word is not much used in French. Protium is the most common hydrogen isotope, having one proton ( and one electron) and no neutrons.
A proton is supposed to be talking or telling the story in the poem . I think I was a little inspired by the poem ” Le Bateau ivre ” by Arthur Rimbaud .
Here it is :
Bombardement d’atomes par un proton d’hydrogène 1H
Bombardment of atoms by a proton of protium 1H
Synchrotrons , canons à électrons, cyclotrons
Synchrotrons, electron guns, cyclotrons
Soyez prêts, particules, deutons, neutrons, hélions
Be prepared, particles, deutons/deuterons, neutrons, helions
En attendant que les hommes préparent les canons
Until men prepare the guns
Le moment est arrivé, l’appareil frappe
The moment has come, the apparatus strikes
Dans son coeur vidé moi, le proton j’attrape
In its emptied heart I , the proton take
Le coup et je vais croiser les atomes en grappe
The blow and I go meet the atoms in clusters
Je fuis dans l’espace et le temps calculables
I flee in computable space and time
Ma vitesse est vertigineuse, incroyable
My speed is vertiginous, incredible
Non pas celle de la lumière, infranchissable
Not that of light, insurmountable
C’est le lieu de la relativité impie
It is the place of impious Relativity
Masses, longueurs, lois de la physique varient
Masses, lengths, physical laws vary
Ma trajectoire déterminée sera suivie
My particular/determined path will be followed
Par d’autres microcosmes malheureux
By other unfortunate microcosms
Le trajet est terminé, le choc a eu lieu
The journey is over, the shock/collision occurred
Je donne la vie à de nouveaux corps heureux
I give life to new happy/fortunate bodies
Quanta de matière utilisés pour la paix
Quanta of matter used for peace
Dans le monde de la science un pas est fait
In the world of science a step/discovery has been made
L’humanité en marche en connaît les bienfaits
Humanity in motion/advancing knows the benefits (of this discovery)
Knowledge mix 