| A la dernière foire du village,
| At the last village fair,
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| j’ai vu quatre hommes qui vivent comme je voudrais vivre.
| I saw four men who live as I would like to live.
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| Leurs grands yeux sont devenus brillants
| Their big eyes got bright
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| pendant qu’ils faisaient une musique si surprenante
| while they were making such amazing music
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| qu’elle donne envie tantôt de danser, de pleurer,
| that it sometimes makes you want to dance, to cry,
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| ou de faire les deux à la fois.
| or do both at the same time.
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| L’un, en traînant son archet sur son violon,
| One, dragging his bow on his violin,
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| semblait raconter un chagrin,
| seemed to tell a sorrow,
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| et l’autre, en faisant sautiller son marteau
| and the other, hopping his hammer
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| sur les cordes d’un petit piano
| on the strings of a small piano
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| avait l’air de se moquer de son voisin,
| seemed to make fun of his neighbor,
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| tandis que le troisième frappait ses cymbales
| while the third banged his cymbals
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| avec une violence extraordinaire.
| with extraordinary violence.
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| Enfin, ils ont ramassé leurs sous,
| Finally, they picked up their pennies,
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| ont chargé leurs bagages sur le dos et sont partis.
| loaded their luggage onto their backs and left.
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| J’ai compris seulement alors,
| I understood only then,
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| qu’ils ne demeuraient nulle part.
| that they were nowhere to stay.
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| Mais ils se sont endormis,
| But they fell asleep,
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| le front tourné vers les étoiles.
| forehead turned to the stars.
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| Tango des astres, tango des-astre.
| Tango of the stars, tango of the stars.
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| Les enfants se séparent,
| The children separate
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| chacun allant, à son insu, selon les circonstances
| each going, unwittingly, according to the circumstances
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| et le hasard, mûrir sa destinée, scandaliser ses proches
| and chance, mature his destiny, scandalize his relatives
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| et graviter vers la gloire ou vers le deshonneur! | and gravitate towards glory or dishonor! |