La chasse aux papillons - Jai rendez-vous avec vous _ La premiere fille
I have put these three songs together as they seem to appear on Brassens favourite compilations and it might be convenient to have the translation on listening to the CD or Download
La chasse aux papillons
Un bon petit diable à la fleur de l'âge,
A right little devil in the prime of life
La jambe légère et l'oeil polisson,
Nimble of limb, mischief in his eye
Et la bouche plein' de joyeux ramages,
And his mouth full of merry chatter
Allait à la chasse aux papillons.
Was going to chase the butterflies.
Comme il atteignait l'orée du village,
As he reached the edge of the village
Filant sa quenouille, il vit Cendrillon,
Threading her distaff,(1) he saw Cind’rella
Il lui dit : « Bonjour, que Dieu te ménage,
He told her « Good day, may God keep thee well
J' t'emmène à la chasse aux papillons.»
I’m taking thee to chase the butterflies
Cendrillon, ravie de quitter sa cage
Cind’rella, delighted to leave her cage(2)
Met sa robe neuve et ses botillons ;
Puts on her new dress and her bootees
Et bras d'ssus bras d'ssous vers les frais bocages
And linked arm in arm, towards the cool groves
Ils vont à la chasse aux papillons.
They go off to chase the butterflies.
Ils ne savaient pas que sous les ombrages,
They did not know that ‘neath the shady trees
Se cachait l'amour et son aiguillon,
Was hiding Cupid with his tiny dart
Et qu'il transperçait les coeurs de leur âge,
And he was wont to pierce hearts of their age
Les coeurs des chasseurs de papillons.
The hearts of hunters of butterflies.
Quand il se fit tendre, ell' lui dit : « J' présage
When he grew amorous, she told him: « I foresee
Qu' c'est pas dans les plis de mon cotillon,
That it’s not in the folds of my underskirts,
Ni dans l'échancrure de mon corsage,
Nor in the neckline of my bodice,
Qu'on va-t-à la chasse aux papillons. »
That people go after the butterflies »
Sur sa bouche en feu qui criait : « Sois sage ! »
Upon her fiery mouth which cried out « Behave »
Il posa sa bouche en guis' de bâillon,
He placed his mouth to serve to gag her words
Et c' fut l' plus charmant des remue-ménage
And t’was the most charming carrying on
Qu'on ait vus d' mémoire de papillon.
Seen in the memory of butterfly.(3)
Un volcan dans l'âme, i' r'vinr'nt au village,
A volcano in their hearts they came back home
En se promettant d'aller des millions,
Pledging to each other to go, millions,
Des milliards de fois, et mêm' davantage,
Billions of times and even more than that,
Ensemble à la chasse aux papillons.
Together both to chase the butterflies
Mais tant qu'ils s'aim'ront, tant que les nuages
As long they love each other, as long the clouds
Porteurs de chagrins les épargneront,
Bearers of life’s woes do kindly spare them
1I' f'ra bon voler dans les frais bocages,
How nice to take flight to cool, leafy groves.
I' f'ront pas la chasse aux papillons..
They won’t be chasing any butterflies….
Notes
(1) Apparently a distaff is a tool used in spinning. It is designed to hold the unspun fibres, keeping them untangled (Wikipedia).
(2) Perhaps a reference to her virtual imprisonment by the ugly sisters.
(3) “In the memory of man/ In living memory” translates “De mémoire d’homme” hence this little joke, the butterflies being the only spectators.
Georges Brassens
(1953 - La mauvaise réputation,
J'ai rendez-vous avec vous
I could not find a Brassens video of this song and this is a recording I have just found on Daily Motion. I think the singer makes the words clear
Monseigneur l’astre solaire,
Monseigneur the solar star
Comm’ je n’ l’admir’ pas beaucoup,
As I don't admire him a lot,
M’enlèv’ son feu, oui mais, d’ son feu, moi j’m’en fous,
Turns his light off me, yes, but for his light, I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
La lumièr’ que je préfère,
The light that I prefer
C’est cell’ de vos yeux jaloux,
Is that of your jealous eyes
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
Monsieur mon propriétaire,
Monsieur, who is my landlord
Comm’ je lui dévaste tout,
As I wreck everything
M’ chass’ de son toit, oui mais, d’ son toit, moi j'm’en fous
Has driven me from his house, yes, but for his house I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
La demeur’ que je préfère,
The dwelling that I prefer
C’est votre robe à froufrous (1),
Is your dress with froufrous
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
Madame ma gargotière,
Madame, my rest’rant keeper,
Comm’ je lui dois trop de sous,
As I owe her too much cash
M’ chass’ de sa tabl’, oui mais, d’ sa tabl’, moi j’m’en fous,
Has driven me from her tabl’, yes, but for her tabl’ I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
Le menu que je préfère,
The menu I prefer
C’est la chair de votre cou,
Is the flesh of your neck
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
Sa Majesté financière,
His Majesty the banker
Comm’ je n’ fais rien à son goût,
As I do nothing to his taste
Garde son or, or, de son or, moi j’m’en fous,
Keeps his gold, now, for his gold I care not
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
La fortun’ que je préfère,
The fortune that I prefer
C’est votre cœur d’amadou,
Is your heart soon on fire
Tout le restant m’indiffère,
I’ve no concern for all else
J’ai rendez-vous avec vous !
My rendez-vous is with you!
NOTES
(1) The dictionary says froufrous are showy or frilly ornamentation on a dress
(2) It is thought that Brassens included this last verse mainly because of the fun of this line with the three « ors ». The second “or” is the conjunction which means “now” not in a sense of time but holding a story together- eg: “There was once a very rich king, now this king had three daughters…….”
(3) The other word for amadou is torchwood. It is a vegetable substance which in the olden days was used to light a fire or a lamp. Sparks were dropped onto the torchwood on which you then blew on to start a flame. The lady to whom the song was dedicated was apparently quickly stirred to passion.
Georges Brassens
1954 - Les amoureux des bancs publics,
La première fille
Georges Brassens got his words wrong in the last verse. I suspect that it is because he was seated so close to his audience, composed of a number of sweet young girls, and felt he had to cut out the explicit words. This led to a mix up with his accompanists.
J'ai tout oublié des campagnes
I have forgotten all the campaigns
D'Austerlitz et de Waterloo
Of Austerlitz and of Waterloo
D'Italie, de Prusse et d'Espagne,
Of Italy, of Prussia and of Spain
De Pontoise et de Landerneau
Of Pontoise and of Landernau.(1)
Jamais de la vie
In your whole lifetime
On ne l'oubliera,
You will not forget her
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms
La première étrangère
The first girl outside your group
À qui l'on a dit "tu" (2)
Whom you risked calling “ tu”
Mon coeur, t'en souviens-tu ?)
My heart do you remember ?
Comme ell' nous était chère...
How dear to us she was
Qu'ell' soit fille honnête
Whether a nice girl
Ou fille de rien,
Or not nice at all
Qu'elle soit pucelle (3)
Whether quite pure
Ou qu'elle soit putain, (3)
Or whether too free
On se souvient d'elle,
One remembers her
On s'en souviendra,
One will continue to
D'la première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras
Whom you took in your arms
.
Ils sont partis à tire-d'aile
They have left me with great haste
Mes souvenirs de la Suzon,
My recollections of Susie
Et ma mémoire est infidèle
And my memory’s unfaithful
À Julie, Rosette ou Lison
To Julie, Rosette or Lison
Jamais de la vie
In your whole lifetime
On ne l'oubliera,
You will not forget her
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms
C'était un' bonne affaire
It was a good exchange
(Mon coeur, t'en souviens-tu ?)
My heart do you remember ?
J'ai changé ma vertu
I traded my virtue
Contre une primevère...
And got a primrose back (4)
Qu' ce soit en grand' pompe
Whether it be with grand pomp
Comme les gens "bien",
As « right » people do
Ou bien dans la ru',
Or else done in the street
Comm' les pauvre' et les chiens,
Like the dogs and the poor folk
On se souvient d'elle,
One remembers her
On s'en souviendra,
One will continue to
D'la première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras
Whom you took in your arms
Toi, qui m'as donné le baptême
You who gave me the baptism
D'amour et de septième ciel,
Of love and seventh heaven
Moi, je te garde et, moi, je t'aime,
I keep you still and I love you
Dernier cadeau du Pèr' Noël !
The last present of Santa Claus (5)
Jamais de la vie
In your whole lifetime
On ne l'oubliera,
You will not forget her
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms
On a beau fair' le brave,
In vain the brave front
Quand ell' s'est mise nue
She took off her clothes
(Mon coeur, t'en souviens-tu ?)
My heart do you remember?
On n'en menait pas large...
You just fell through the floor
Bien d'autres, sans doute,
Many others, no doubt
Depuis, sont venues,
Since that time, have come
Oui, mais, entre toutes
Yes, but, among all
Celles qu'on a connues,
Those whom you have known
Elle est la dernière
She is the last one
Que l'on oubliera,
Whom you will forget
La première fill'
The very first girl
Qu'on a pris' dans ses bras,
Whom you took in your arms
NOTES
(1) Brassens says that he has forgotten all the history he learnt at school and to illustrate the point he includes in the last line two places that do not figure in war history.
(2) The change from using the “vous” form of you to the « tu » form is made when you assume you have reached a certain stage of familiarity. It can be a sensitive moment.
(3) pucelle means virgin and putain means whore, but I wanted to soften these lines, as the harsh moral standards of the 50s, which Brassens deplored no longer apply.
(4) Brassens uses elsewhere, the primrose, flower of early spring, as a symbol of the young love that replaces lost virginity
(5) The experience of lovemaking marked the end of childhood
Georges Brassens
(1954 - Les amoureux des bancs publics.)
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