The songs of Georges Brassens with English translation

La chasse aux papillons

Brassens is usually pessimistic about the permanence of human love but in this merry, bawdy song he suggests that extreme sexual passion is able to weld a couple together, fate willing, in a happy, lasting union.


Un bon petit diable à la fleur de l'âge,
A right little devil in the prime of his life
La jambe légère et l'oeil polisson,
Nimble of limb and mischief in his eye
Et la bouche plein' de joyeux ramages,
And mouth replete with the merriest of banter
Allait à la chasse aux papillons.
Was off on the chase of the butterflies.
Comme il atteignait l'orée du village,
As he was approaching 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 said to her « Good day, may the Good Lord keep thee.
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 escape her cage(2)
Met sa robe neuve et ses botillons ;
Puts on her new dress and her new bootees
Et bras d'ssus bras d'ssous vers les frais bocages
And arms linked together, to the cool, leafy groves,
Ils vont à la chasse aux papillons.
They go off on the chase of butterflies.
Ils ne savaient pas que sous les ombrages,
They did know that under the thick foliage
Se cachait l'amour et son aiguillon,(3)
Cupid was hiding with his goading spear
Et qu'il transperçait les coeurs de leur âge,
And that he was wont to target hearts when young like theirs
Les coeurs des chasseurs de papillons.
The hearts of the hunters of butterflies.

Quand il se fit tendre, ell' lui dit : « J' présage
When he grew romantic, she said to him: « I sense
Qu' c'est pas dans les plis de mon cotillon,
It’s not in the folds of my petticoat,
Ni dans l'échancrure de mon corsage,
Neither down the fr0nt of the bodice of my dress,
Qu'on va-t-à la chasse aux papillons. »
That you go on the hunt for butterflies »
Sur sa bouche en feu qui criait : « Sois sage ! »
Upon her mouth on fire which cried out « Behave now !»
Il posa sa bouche en guis' de bâillon,
He placed his mouth to gag her further words
Et c' fut l' plus charmant des remue-ménage
And it turned into the most charming of frolics
Qu'on ait vus d' mémoire de papillon.
Seen in the memory of butterfly.(4)

Un volcan dans l'âme, i' r'vinr'nt au village,
Volcanos in their hearts they made their way back home
En se promettant d'aller des millions,
Pledging to each other to go, millions,
Des milliards de fois, et mêm' davantage,
Nay, billions of times and even more than that,
Ensemble à la chasse aux papillons.
Off together in chase of butterflies
Mais tant qu'ils s'aim'ront, tant que les nuages
While they love each other, as long as the dark clouds
Porteurs de chagrins les épargneront,
Bearers of life’s woes show mercy on them
Il' f'ra bon voler dans les frais bocages,
It will be nice to fly to cool and 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)Un aiguillon is a goad, which is a metal point on a long pole used to prick cattle to encourage them to move in the direction required. Cupid’s usual weapon would be an arrow or a dart. “ Cupid’s darts” translates into French: les flèches de Cupidon. On this occasion Cupid seems to be using an extreme weapon to exert extra stimulus to the lovers.
(4) “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,

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Labels: A boisterous love song starring Cinderella