Bleuet
Guillaume ApollinaireOriginale | English Version by Robbie |
BLEUET Jeune homme de vingt ans Qui a vu des choses si affreuses Que penses-tu des hommes de ton enfance Tu connais la bravoure et la ruse Tu as vu la mort en face plus de cent fois tu ne sais pas ce que c'est que la vie Transmets ton intrépidité A ceux qui viendront après toi Jeune homme Tu es joyeux ta mémoire est ensanglantée Ton âme est rouge aussi De joie Tu as absorbé la vie de ceux qui sont morts près de toi Tu as de la décision Il est 17 heures et tu saurais Mourir Sinon mieux que tes aînés Du moins plus pieusement Car tu connais mieux la mort que la vie Ô douceur d'autrefois Lenteur immémoriale | BLEUET Young man of twenty Who saw such awful deeds, What do you think of your childhood's men? You know bravery and cunning, You have seen death more than a hundred times And you know nothing about life! Pass your dauntlessness To those who will come after you. Young man, You are joyful, Red is your memory, Red is your soul, Red of joy. You filled with the life of those who died after you. The decision is yours, It's 5 o'clock and you'll know how to die, If not better than your elders At the least more piously, As you know death more than life! Ay, sweetness of old, Immemorable quietness. |