A Couple of Poetic French Songs
In my very young days, I used to be
(still am) a big fan of the Carpenters. I found Karen Carpenter’s deep velvety
voice very endearing and calming and knew many of her songs by heart. In later
years I heard of French singer Francoise Hardy (whose singing career took off before
the Carpenters’ did) through her rendition of “All Over the World”, which was adapted from the original “Dans Le Monde Entier” (music and lyrics
both written by her). Her irresistible husky yet delicate voice radiated a
certain warmth that reminded me of Karen’s. It was only quite recently when I
embarked on a discovery tour of Hardy’s repertoire that I became totally
bewitched. Her relaxed, coming-from-within, natural singing style has captured
my heart.
Two French songs to which Francoise
Hardy gave moving interpretation have very poetic lyrics and I’m tempted to
render them into English. One is “La Mer”
and the other is “Le Temps de L’Amour”.
The latter song was picked as a dance song for the 2012 movie Moonrise Kingdom.
“La Mer” (“The Sea”) (music and lyrics
by Charles Trenet):-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIupkp-khBA&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg
La
mer qu'on voit danser le long des golfes clairs
A des reflets d'argent, la mer
Des reflets changeants sous la pluie
La
mer au ciel d'été confond ses blancs moutons
Avec les anges si purs, la mer
Bergère d'azur infinie
Voyez près des étangs ces grands roseaux mouillés
Voyez ces oiseaux blancs et ces maisons rouillées
La
mer les a bercés le long des golfes clairs
Et d'une chanson d'amour, la mer
A bercé mon coeur pour la vie
La
mer les a bercés le long des golfes clairs
Et d'une chanson d'amour, la mer
A bercé mon coeur pour la vie
My
English Rendition:-
The
sea that you see dancing along the clear bay,
Has
silvery reflections, the sea,
Reflections that change in the rain.
The
sea under a summer sky mistakes its white waves
For
the angels so pure, the sea,
An
infinite azure rocking chair.
Behold
the bushy wet weeds near the water,
Behold the white birds and the rusty mansions.
The
sea has cradled them all along the clear bay,
And
like a love song, the sea
Has cradled my heart, for life.
The
sea has cradled them all along the clear bay,
And
like a love song, the sea
Has
cradled my heart, for life.
“Le
Temps de L’Amour” (“Time of Love”):-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITYVXUvMtHI&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg&index=2
C'est
le temps de l'amour,
Le temps des copains et de l'aventure
Quand le temps va et vient,
On ne pense a rien malgre ses blessures
Car le temps de l'amour
C'est long et c'est court,
Ca dure toujours, on s'en souvient
On se dit qu' a vingt ans on est le roi du monde,
Et qu' éternellement il y aura dans nos yeux
Tout le ciel bleu
C'est le temps de l'amour,
Le temps des copains et de l'aventure
Quand le temps va et vient,
On ne pense a rien malgre ses blessures
Car le temps de l'amour
Ca vous met au coeur
Beaucoup de chaleur et de bonheur
Un beau jour c'est l'amour et le coeur bat plus vite,
Car la vie suit son cours
Et l'on est tout heureux d'etre amoureux
C'est le temps de l'amour,
Le temps des copains et de l'aventure
Quand le temps va et vient,
On ne pense a rien malgre ses blessures
Car le temps de l'amour
C'est long et c'est court,
Ca dure toujours, on s'en souvient.
My English Rendition:-
It
is the time of love,
The time for friends and for adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
You
don’t give a thought despite the wounds,
Because
the time of love –
It
can be long and it can be short.
It always lasts, and you'll remember it.
One
says when you’re twenty you are the king of the world
And
that for eternity you’ll have in your eyes
All that blue sky.
It
is the time of love,
The
time for friends and for adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
You don't give a thought despite your wounds,
Because
the time of love –
It
will fill your heart with
A lot of ardor and happiness.
One
fine day love comes and your heart beats faster.
Because
life follows its own path,
And you are just happy to be in love.
It
is the time of love,
The
time for friends and for adventure.
When the time comes and goes,
You
don’t give a thought despite the wounds,
Because
the time of love –
It
can be long and it can be short.
It
always lasts, and you’ll remember it.