| J’ai ouvert les yeux sur un meubl? | I opened my eyes to a piece of furniture? |
| Triste
| Sad
|
| Rue Monsieur Le Prince au Quartier Latin
| Rue Monsieur Le Prince in the Latin Quarter
|
| Dans un milieu de chanteurs et d’artistes
| In a milieu of singers and artists
|
| Qu’avaient un pass?, pas de lendemain
| What had a pass?, no tomorrow
|
| Des gens merveilleux un peu fantaisistes
| Whimsical wonderful people
|
| Qui parlaient le russe et puis l’arm? | Who spoke Russian and then Arm? |
| Nien
| Nothing
|
| Si mon p? | If my p? |
| Re? | D? |
| Tait chanteur d’op? | Was an op singer? |
| Rette
| Rete
|
| Nanti d’une vois que j’envie encore
| Endowed with a vision that I still envy
|
| Ma m? | My mother |
| Re tenait l’emploi de soubrette
| Retained the job of maid
|
| Et leur troupe ne roulait pas sur l’or
| And their troupe wasn't rolling in gold
|
| Mais ma soeur et moi? | But my sister and me? |
| Tions? | Are you? |
| La f? | The f? |
| Te Blottis dans un coin derri? | Are you huddled in a back corner? |
| Re un d? | Re un d? |
| Cor
| Horn
|
| Tous ces com? | All these com? |
| Diens charg? | Are you loaded? |
| S de famille
| S of family
|
| Mais don’t le fran? | But don't the fran? |
| Ais? | Aw? |
| Tait h? | Tait h? |
| Sitant
| Sitting
|
| Devaient accepter pour gagner leur vie
| Had to agree to make a living
|
| Le premier emploi qui? | The first job who? |
| Tait vacant
| was vacant
|
| Conduire un taxi ou tirer l’aiguille
| Ride a taxi or pull the needle
|
| ? | ? |
| A pouvait ce faire avec un accent
| A could do this with an accent
|
| Apr? | Apr? |
| S le travail les jours de semaine
| S work on weekdays
|
| Ces acteurs frustr? | These frustrated actors? |
| S are? | S are? |
| P? | P? |
| Taient longtemps
| Were a long time
|
| Pour le seul plaisir un soir par quinzaine
| Just for fun one night a fortnight
|
| De s’offrir l’oubli des soucis d’argent
| To afford the oblivion of money worries
|
| Et crever de trac en entrant en sc? | And die of stage fright when entering sc? |
| Ne Devant un public form? | Do in front of a trained audience? |
| D'? | From? |
| Migrants
| Migrants
|
| Quand les fins de mois? | When the end of the month? |
| Taient difficile
| Were difficult
|
| Quand il faisait froid, que le pain manquait
| When it was cold, the bread ran out
|
| On allait souvent honteux et f? | We often went ashamed and f? |
| Brile
| Brile
|
| Au Mont de pi? | At Pi Mountain? |
| T? | T? |
| O? | Where? |
| L’on engageait
| We were engaging
|
| Un vieux samovar, des choses futiles
| An old samovar, trivial things
|
| Objet du pass?, auxquels on tenait
| Object of the past?, held dear
|
| On parlait de ceux morts pr? | We were talking about the dead ones? |
| S du Bosphore
| S of Bosphorus
|
| Buvait? | Was drinking? |
| La vie, buvait aux copains
| Life, drank to buddies
|
| Les femmes pleuraient, et jusqu’au aurores
| The women wept, and until dawn
|
| Les hommes chantaient quelques vieux refrains
| The men were singing some old tunes
|
| Qui venaient de loin, du fond d’un folklore
| Who came from afar, from the bottom of a folklore
|
| O? | Where? |
| Vivaient la mort, l’amour et le vin
| Lived death, love and wine
|
| Nous avions toujours des amis? | We still had friends? |
| Table
| Table
|
| Le peu qu’on avait on le partageait
| What little we had we shared
|
| Mes parents disaient: «Ce serait le diable
| My parents said, "That would be the devil
|
| Si demain le ciel ne nous le rendait»
| If tomorrow the sky doesn't give it back to us"
|
| Ce n'? | This does not |
| Tait pas l? | Don't be there |
| Geste charitable:
| Charitable gesture:
|
| Ils aimaient les autres, et Dieu nous aidait
| They loved others, and God was helping us
|
| Tandis que devant po? | While in front of po? |
| Les et casseroles
| Pots and Pans
|
| Mon p? | My p? |
| Re cherchait sa situation
| Was researching his situation
|
| Jour et nuit sous une lampe? | Day and night under a lamp? |
| P? | P? |
| Trole
| Trole
|
| Ma m? | My mother |
| Re brodait pour grande maison
| Re-embroidered for big house
|
| Et nous avant que d’aller? | And we before we go? |
| L'? | L'? |
| Cole
| Cole
|
| Faisions le m? | Let's do the m? |
| Nage et les commissions
| Swimming and Commissions
|
| Ainsi j’ai grandi sans contrainte aucune
| So I grew up without any constraint
|
| Me so? | Me so? |
| Lant la nuit, travaillant le jour
| Lant at night, working the day
|
| Ma vie a connu diverses fortunes
| My life has known various fortunes
|
| J’ai fr? | I en? |
| L? | L? |
| La mort, j’ai trouv? | Death, I found? |
| L’amour
| love
|
| J’ai eu des enfants qui m’ont vu plus d’une
| I had children who saw me more than once
|
| Fois me souvenir le coeur un peu lourd
| Time to remember with a little heavy heart
|
| La la di la la la…
| La la di la la la…
|
| Rue Monsieur Le Prince au Quartier Latin
| Rue Monsieur Le Prince in the Latin Quarter
|
| Dans un milieu de chanteurs et d’artistes
| In a milieu of singers and artists
|
| Qu’avaient un pass?, pas de lendemain
| What had a pass?, no tomorrow
|
| Des gens merveilleux un peu fantaisistes
| Whimsical wonderful people
|
| Qui parlaient le russe et puis l’arm? | Who spoke Russian and then Arm? |
| Nien | Nothing |