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talktoolooseTwelve years ago, I borrowed my friends double LP of Jacques Brel songs and taped the ones I didn't have onto cassette. I didn't listen to it for the next 12 years. Now, I'm tossing cassettes, pausing to digitize and MP3 the ones I want. I finally heard the Brel and one song immediately leapt out at me. I must translate and sing it!
Here is a rough translation which I will now begin to finesse. The repeated use of the infinitive form ("To say...") is sort of foxing me at the moment. I can't quite feel the meaning. I've already started coaxing rhymes out of the beginning and shifting idioms to English but it's a delicate and holy operation.
I hope I can offer you a polished translation for comparison soon.
Fernand
To say that Fernand’s no more
To say that Fernand is dead
To say that I’ve been left behind
To say that he’s gone on ahead
He in is last beer
Me in my gormless daze
He in his casket
Me in my desert
Ahead there is nothing but a white horse
Behind there is nothing but me crying
To say that there is not even a breeze
To rustle my flowers
And if I were Holy God
I think I’d be sorry
To say that it’s raining now
To say that Fernand is dead
To say that one crosses Paris
In the early dawn
To say that one crosses Paris
And might call it Berlin
You, you don’t know; you’re sleeping
But it’s so sad you could die
To be obliged to leave
While Paris is still sleeping
Me, I burst with longing
To wake people up
And form you a family
Just for your funeral
And yet, if I were Holy God
I wouldn’t be proud of what I’d done
I mean, I know you do what have to do
But there must be a better way
You know I will return
I will return forever
To this fucking field
Where you have to lie
In the summer, I’ll be your shade
And we’ll drink a glass of silence
And toast the health of Constance
Who doesn’t give a damn about being your shadow
And then all the adults who are so fucking…
They’ll give us a fine war to fight
Then I will come for good
To lie in your cemetary
And now, my dear God
You will laugh yourself silly
And now, my dear God
Now I will weep
Here is a rough translation which I will now begin to finesse. The repeated use of the infinitive form ("To say...") is sort of foxing me at the moment. I can't quite feel the meaning. I've already started coaxing rhymes out of the beginning and shifting idioms to English but it's a delicate and holy operation.
I hope I can offer you a polished translation for comparison soon.
Fernand
To say that Fernand’s no more
To say that Fernand is dead
To say that I’ve been left behind
To say that he’s gone on ahead
He in is last beer
Me in my gormless daze
He in his casket
Me in my desert
Ahead there is nothing but a white horse
Behind there is nothing but me crying
To say that there is not even a breeze
To rustle my flowers
And if I were Holy God
I think I’d be sorry
To say that it’s raining now
To say that Fernand is dead
To say that one crosses Paris
In the early dawn
To say that one crosses Paris
And might call it Berlin
You, you don’t know; you’re sleeping
But it’s so sad you could die
To be obliged to leave
While Paris is still sleeping
Me, I burst with longing
To wake people up
And form you a family
Just for your funeral
And yet, if I were Holy God
I wouldn’t be proud of what I’d done
I mean, I know you do what have to do
But there must be a better way
You know I will return
I will return forever
To this fucking field
Where you have to lie
In the summer, I’ll be your shade
And we’ll drink a glass of silence
And toast the health of Constance
Who doesn’t give a damn about being your shadow
And then all the adults who are so fucking…
They’ll give us a fine war to fight
Then I will come for good
To lie in your cemetary
And now, my dear God
You will laugh yourself silly
And now, my dear God
Now I will weep
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no subject
Date: 2003-04-11 05:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-04-14 06:23 am (UTC)Actually, I haven't talked to her in about five years. She's one of those people who've drifted away and I want to rope back. After years of not being able to find a guy (or, rather, keep a guy), she landed one with a 14 year old son and then got pregnant herself. Instant family.