:45:23
Our Hero always adored
these moments
:45:26
when everything grinds to a halt.
:45:29
The whole system goes out of joint,
:45:32
portending a destiny,
not just a moment,
:45:35
and affording
a rare glimpse of eternity.
:45:43
Thinking back on May '68,
some people said
:45:48
it was a wonderful time for them.
:45:52
Chatting with strangers...
Everything seemed possible...
:45:57
I believed them.
:46:00
Others recalled that no trains ran,
:46:03
and there was no fuel.
:46:05
I believed them, too.
:46:10
Both versions agreed on one thing:
:46:15
magically, for a few days,
:46:18
a huge, oppressive machine
had stopped.
:46:23
There was a wavering,
:46:26
an uncertainty.
:46:28
A state of suspense.
:46:31
A certain calm spread over France.
:46:35
Of course, afterwards
the machine ran even faster,
:46:41
more ruthlessly.
:46:43
May '68 had repealed
the few moral rules
:46:46
that had hindered
its devouring force.
:46:51
All the same,
:46:54
there had been a pause,
:46:57
a hesitation,
:46:59
a moment of metaphysical doubt.