Saturday 26 April 2008

Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux Brassens sings Aragon's famous poem of the ambiguity of love.

(Picture left)  Elsa, the muse who inspired the poet, Louis Aragon..


The lyrics of Brassens' song are taken from a very famous poem by Louis Aragon (1897-1982). Its mood is melancholic and pessimistic. Aragon admits that it was affected by his difficulties during the harsh times at the end of the war, which prevented him living life to the full with his beloved wife, Elsa. He felt that if you created a high ideal of love, the realities of life would of necessity involve a betrayal.

Below:

Brassens' recording of "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux"





Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux by Louis Aragon


Rien n'est jamais acquis à l'homme 
Ni sa force
Ni sa faiblesse ni son coeur 
Et quand il croit
Ouvrir ses bras son ombre est celle d'une croix
Et quand il croit serrer son bonheur il le broie
Sa vie est un étrange et douloureux divorce
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux.




Sa vie Elle ressemble à ces soldats sans armes
Qu'on avait habillés pour un autre destin
A quoi peut leur servir de se lever matin
Eux qu'on retrouve au soir désarmés incertains
Dites ces mots Ma vie 
Et retenez vos larmes
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux




Mon bel amour mon cher amour ma déchirure
Je te porte dans moi comme un oiseau blessé
Et ceux-là sans savoir nous regardent passer
Répétant après moi les mots que j'ai tressés
Et qui pour tes grands yeux tout aussitôt moururent
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux




Le temps d'apprendre à vivre il est déjà trop tard
Que pleurent dans la nuit nos cœurs à l'unisson
Ce qu'il faut de regrets pour payer un frisson
Ce qu'il faut de malheur pour la moindre chanson
Ce qu'il faut de sanglots pour un air de guitare
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux

Nothing is for man to have and hold. Not his strength
Not his weakness and not his heart. And when he thinks
To open out his arms, his shadow forms a cross
And when he thinks to grasp true joy, he crushes it.
His life is a divorce, strange and full of sorrow.
There’s no happiness in love.




His life it resembles those troops stripped of their arms 
Who had been geared up for a quite different fate
To what end should they stir from their bunks at morning
They, whom one meets  at evening disarmed, uncertain
Say then these words, my love 
And hold back your tears
There’s no happiness in love




My fairest love, my cherished love, my deepest cut
I carry you within me just like an injured bird
And those who unknowing watch us as we pass by
Repeating after me the words that
I've woven
And which through your wide eyes died straightway on my lips
There’s no happiness in love




The time to learn to live, already, is too late
For our hearts to weep in unison in the night.
How much remorse does it take to pay for one thrill
How much sorrow does it take for the slightest song
How much weeping does it take for one tune on guitar
There’s no happiness in love





Click here to return to the full index of Brassens songs on this blog


BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Aragon met the Russian-born Elsa Triolet (1896-1970), his future wife, in 1928. Triolet was herself an authoress and her published work stretched from the late 1930s until the year of her death. She was Aragon's companion for forty years and greatly influenced his writing


TRANSLATION NOTES
(A few not too serious personal comments)

I am conscious of having no deep knowledge of Aragon. I was a teacher of French language and literature but my acquaintanceship with Aragon was only a passing one. Without any insight, however, I find myself wanting to play the game of asking what precise human experiences are hidden under the abstractions of the poem. Perhaps an expert on Aragon will put me right afterwards.

The first verse makes it quite clear, as Aragon himself explained, that he and Elsa were going through a bad patch. It had shaken their confidence as they had believed the love and understanding they used to share was forever.

The second verse is a single continuous image and I am hesitant about interpreting it. Something that as a man he has been prepared for, he is no longer able to do and his life is all empty frustration.

The third verse seems to be Aragon's acknowledgement of the great hurt he has caused Elsa, who is torn and wounded. The experience has convinced him that there is no such thing as happy love.

The last verse tells me in what way he hurt Elsa. I suspect that the short moments of excitement that have brought so much aggro with his wife were spent with an attractive young temptress. Aragon had quite a number of them listed in his little red book before he met Elsa. (Untypically, for a man with strong Communist principles, he had a love affair with Nancy Cunard, who was the heiress to the great international shipping company.)

His final plea is that they should get through these moments of torment side by side, blaming all the suffering on the human condition. However he reminds her that suffering is the inspiration of so much great art.

Thee photograph is of Louis Aragon.











Below is a new version of the song made by Eva Dénia and Merxe Martinez, recorded in concert on the 6th June 2016.
Before the song, Eva tells us, at some length, that she is very nervous at this, her first performance  of Brassens beautiful rendition of Aragon's poem








JUST TALKING TO MYSELF

A similar poem in English literature on the theme of melancholic pessimism about love and life would perhaps be “Dover Beach”, which Matthew Arnold wrote in about 1851. In it the poet asks his new wife to stand with him to face the insecurities and disappointments of modern life, when love is inadequate, traditional moral values are collapsing and men fight each other in a darkness of ignorance, where they do not know whom they are fighting and why.


"Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold (read by Tom O'Bedlam)


I must admit that I am also adding this poem, because I admire the style of the reader and wish to keep this handy as a reminder to myself. He conveys the rhythm and the poetry but does not get in the way himself. Not an easy thing to achieve!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow beautiful! I'm in french level one, just starting to learn this lovely language. But I'm always searching for french music, and that's when I came across your page. Thank you so much for the translation and explanation. Lovely poem!

True Blue Liberal said...

I was pleasantly surprised when watching Eight Women (Huit Femmes de François Ozon, 2002) on DVD this evening to see it end with Danielle Darrieux singing this beautiful song to the full cast.

It's not giving away the ending of this mystery film to say that it's the perfect end to the movie.

Anonymous said...

You can hear Nina Simone cover it on her final CD, A Single Woman, Barbara sang it too on Barbara Chante Brel et Brassens. Thanks for this Blog site as Brassens is difficult for anglophones. May you be spared by the demons of copyright complaints and protected by angels of Fair Use.

Anonymous said...

I love your translations! Thank you I can now share some of brassens with my american friends! I tried to translate some songd myself a while ago but my vocabulary wasn't rich enough for that so thank you again!

One suggestion for the translation on this one though:

Le temps d'apprendre à vivre il est déjà trop tard
The time to learn to live, already, is long gone

The meaning in french is more something like:
The time to learn to live, and already it's too late

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure when this poem was written, but I think it might have something to do with Aragon's experiences during the War and his return to 'normalcy.' How can you return to normalcy after such a tragedy as WWII, and Aragon fought in WWI, and remember how promising the interwar period seemed. Jazz, flappers, freedom, rebuilding, Germany finally conquered, etc etc...one could have been forgiven for thinking finally some happy plateau had been reached, only have to have it destroyed in an instance.
I think Aragon is juxtaposing that with how relationships can be so great and literally the next day it's over. Yet you find yourself eventually hoping and believing again, and if you do actually find a soul mate, the best outcome is you grow old and they die and then you're alone.
So truely even the greastest love is not happy.

Anonymous said...

And on a side note, the difference between the young lady and Brassens is a great example of the distinction between 'Parisian' French and French du Midi!
I think Midi sounds much better.

Poine said...

Great work. congratulations !

Nevertheless, I have a doubt about the translation :
Et qui pour tes grands yeux tout aussitôt moururent
And who in your fair eyes died like a flash away

are you sure it's the people who died ? I have the feeling it's the words.

Anonymous said...

Nothing ever belongs to man, neither his strength, nor his weakness, or his heart and when he thinks his arms opened, his shape is that of a cross... And when he believes his happiness beheld, he crushes it. His life is a strange and painful divorce...
There is no happy love...

His life, it resembles those soldiers without weapons, that were dressed for another destiny,
Why do they even get up in the morning...
Those that the evening finds unarmed and uncertain...
Tell me those words, my life, and hold back your tears,

There is no happy love...

My beautiful love, my dear love, my wound,
I carry you in me like a wounder bird,
And that unkwowingly watches us as we go by,
Repeating after me the words that I braided...
And that for your fair eyes soon expired...

There is no happy love...


The time to learn to live. it's already too late,
How they cry in the night, our united hearts...

How many regrets to pay off a shiver
How much unhappiness for the slightest of songs
How many sobs it needs that tune on a guitar...

There is no happy love...

petersmith said...

It was very impressive blog, thanks for sharing it.

regards
Pawn Jewellery

Sell Breitling Watch said...

explanation & translation of this poem is really amazing. it will great thing.

with regards
Sell Breitling Chronomat

Unknown said...

Alternate Translation

Rien n'est jamais acquis, à l'homme ni sa force
Ni faiblesse, ni son coeur, et quand il croit
Ouvrir ses bras, son ombre, est celle d'une croix
Et quand il veut serrer son bonheur, il le broie
Sa vie est un étrange et douloureux divorce
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux

Nothing is man’s forever, neither his strength
Nor his weakness, nor his heart, and when he thinks
He’s stretching out his arms his shadow forms a cross
When he wants to protect his happiness, he crushes it
His life is a strange and painful divorce
There are no happy endings

Sa vie, elle ressemble, à ces soldats sans armes
Qu'on avait habillés pour un autre destin
A quoi peut leur servir, de se lever matin
Eux, qu'on retrouve au soir, désarmés, incertains
Dites ces mots "ma vie", et retenez vos larmes
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux

His life resembles that of weaponless soldiers
Trained for another war
What’s the point of reveille
For those idling their evening, disarmed and uncertain
Say these words my treasure and hold back your tears
There are no happy endings

Mon bel amour, mon cher amour, ma déchirure
Je te porte dans moi, comme un oiseau blessé
Et ceux-là, sans savoir, nous regardent passer
Répétant après moi, ces mots que j'ai tressés
Et qui pour tes grands yeux, tout aussitôt moururent
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux

My sweet love. my dear love, my wound
I carry you in me like a wounded bird
And those who, unknowing, see us pass by
Repeat after me those words I crafted
That immediately vanished into your wide eyes
There are no happy endings

Le temps d'apprendre à vivre, il est déjà trop tard
Que pleurent dans la nuit, nos coeurs à l'unisson
Ce qu'il faut de regrets, pour payer un frisson
Ce qu'il faut de malheurs, pour la moindre chanson
Ce qu'il faut de sanglots, pour un air de guitare
Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux.

By the time we've learned how to live, it’s already too late
Let our hearts together sob throughout the night
How many regrets does it take to atone for a thrill
How much pain does it take to write a song
How many sobs does it take to write a melody
There are no happy endings

Unknown said...

By the time you've learned how to live, it's already too late.

Unknown said...

Another alternative translation. I respected the rhythm (but not the rimes) so you can actually sing it. Also, I chose "there's never been a happy love" (for length) instead of the correct "there is no happy love". It's certainly not "there are no happy endings" (?) and "there is no happiness in love" is quite a different statement. Hope you'll like it.

Also, I really like the young Françoise Hardy cover, it's heartbreaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD_oPsjQ4bU

Nothing is ever sure for a man nor his strength
Nor his weakness nor his heart As he opens
his arms make a shadow similar to a cross
As he thinks he’s hugging his joy he crushes it
His life is a bizarre excruciating divorce
There’s never been a happy love

His life is like soldiers without a weapon
Who were handsomely dressed for a different fate
Why should they try to raise in so early morning
To find themselves at night armless and uncertain
Please say those words My life and please fight back your tears
There’s never been a happy love

My bright love one my dear love one my tender wound
I carry you in me like a small injured bird
And those unknowingly watch us walk and go by
Repeating after me those words I crafted here
And for your pretty eyes immediately expired
There’s never been a happy love

By the time your learn life it’s already too late
May weep in the deep night our hearts in unison
How much regrets you need to pay back for a thrill
How much despair you need for a mere single song
How much tears do you need for a clear guitar tune
There’s never been a happy love

Jerold said...

Dr. Ekpen Temple Your spell worked and brought my husband back to me. You gave me support when I was feeling hopeless. I feel truly blessed to have found your email address. I sincerely hope others will take that leap of faith and let you help them as you have helped me, for those of you who want to contact him reach him on his email address: ( ekpentemple@gmail.com ) you will never regret contacting him… He is capable of restoring your relationship and marriage problems like he did for me.

Rebecca said...

Hi My name is Rebecca.i just want to share my experience with the world on how i got my love back and saved my marriage… I was married for 7 years with 4 kids and we lived happily until things started getting ugly and we had a fights and arguments almost every time… it got worse at a point that he filed for divorce… I tried my best to make him change his mind & stay with me cause i loved him with all my heart and didn’t want to loose him but everything just didn’t work out… he moved out of the house and still went ahead to file for divorce… I pleaded and tried everything but still nothing worked. The breakthrough came when someone introduced me to this wonderful, great spell caster Dr Zuma, who eventually helped me out… I have never been a fan of things like this but just decided to try reluctantly cause I was desperate and left with no choice… He did special prayers and cast a love spell on him. Within 24hours he called me and was sorry for all the emotional trauma he had cost me, moved back to the house and we continue to live happily, the kids are happy too and we are expecting our fourth child… I have introduced him to a lot of couples with problems across the world and they have had good news… Just thought I should share my experience cause I strongly believe someone out there needs it… You can contact him on spiritualherbalisthealing@gmail.com whatsapp +15068001647