Subject: Lyr Add: NE ME QUITTE PAS / IF YOU GO AWAY (J Brel
From:
GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 03 Jun 02 - 03:55 PM
this was prompted by the Irish threads, where English only speaker have been asking for some translation for the lyrics. I am in favor of trying to supply translations whenever possible, Welsh, Irish, Breton, etc.
An example that I used, of problems and the need for good translations was this Jacques Brel song of 1959, Belgian lyrics from http://mirabilia.ru/brel/nmqp.html
Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s'oublier Qui s'enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu A savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois A coups de pourquoi Le coeur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Moi je t'offrirai Des perles de pluie Venues de pays Où il ne pleut pas Je creuserai la terre Jusqu'après ma mort Pour couvrir ton corps D'or et de lumière Je ferai un domaine Où l'amour sera roi Où l'amour sera loi Où tu seras reine Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas Je t'inventerai Des mots insensés Que tu comprendras Je te parlerai De ces amants-là Qui ont vue deux fois, Leurs coeurs s'embraser Je te raconterai L'histoire de ce roi Mort de n'avoir pas Pu te rencontrer Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
On a vu souvent Rejaillir le feu De l'ancien volcan Qu'on croyait trop vieux Il est paraît-il Des terres brûlées Donnant plus de blé Qu'un meilleur avril Et quand vient le soir Pour qu'un ciel flamboie Le rouge et le noir Ne s'épousent-ils pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas Je ne vais plus pleurer Je ne vais plus parler Je me cacherai là A te regarder Danser et sourire Et à t'écouter Chanter et puis rire Laisse-moi devenir L'ombre de ton ombre L'ombre de ta main L'ombre de ton chien Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
this site http://stingetc.com/nemetr.shtml offers a bit of a translation
Translation by Magda van Santen
Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Il faut oublier — it 's neccesary to forget Tout peut s'oublier — everything you need to forget Qui s'enfuit deja — which is already over Oublier le temps — forget the times Des malentendus — of the misunderstandings Et le temps perdu — the lost time A savoir comment — to know how Oublier ces heures — forget the hours Qui tuaient parfois — which sometimes kill A coups de pourquoi — the reasons why Le coeur du bonheur — the heart full of joy
Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me
Moi je t'offrirai — I offer you Des perles de pluie — pearles of rain Venues de pays — coming from countries Ou il ne pleut pas — where it never rains Je creus'rai la terre — I will cross the world Jusqu' apres ma mort — until after my death Pour couvrir ton corps — for to cover your body D'or et de lumiere; — with gold and bright light Je f'rai un domaine — I will give you a kingdom Ou l'amour s 'ra roi — where love will be king Ou l'amour s' ra loi — Where love will be the law ou tu serais reine — and where you will be queen
Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me Ne me quitte pas — Don't leave me
this site also tries: http://www.math.mcgill.ca/~loisel/brel.html
This is my english translation of Brel's Ne me quitte pas. I have strived for accuracy first and second for adequate wording. I've probably failed. It is also very difficult to properly represent the delivery in a web page.
The first verse is a tad hard to read in both languages (not because I can't translate, which is a different problem altogether). If you mentally insert punctuation in the right places, it will make a lot more sense. (Hint, insert a period after lines 1, 2, 4, 8, 12; there's some subjunctive in there.)
Français
Ne me quitte pas Il faut oublier Tout peut s'oublier Qui s'enfuit déjà Oublier le temps Des malentendus Et le temps perdu A savoir comment Oublier ces heures Qui tuaient parfois A coups de pourquoi Le coeur du bonheur Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Moi je t'offrirai Des perles de pluie Venues d'un pays Où il ne pleut pas Je creuserai la terre Jusqu'après ma ma mort Pour couvrir ton corps D'or et de lumière Je ferai un domaine Où l'amour sera roi Où l'amour sera loi Où tu seras reine Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas Je t'inventerai Des mots insensés Que tu comprendras Je te parlerai De ces amants-là Qui ont vu deux fois Leurs coeurs s'embraser Je te raconterai L'histoire de ce roi Mort de n'avoir pas Pu te rencontrer Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
On a vu souvent Rejaillir le feu De l'ancien volcan Qu'on croyait trop vieux Il est paraît-il Des terres brûlées Donnant plus de blé Qu'un meilleur avril Et quand vient le soir Pour qu'un ciel flamboie Le rouge et le noir Ne s'épousent-ils pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
Ne me quitte pas Je ne vais plus pleurer Je ne vais plus parler Je me cacherai là A te regarder Danser et sourire Et à t'écouter Chanter et puis rire Laisse-moi devenir L'ombre de ton ombre L'ombre de ta main L'ombre de ton chien, mais Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas Ne me quitte pas
English
Do not leave me We must forget All can be forgotten Which already escapes Forget the time Of misunderstandings And time lost Seeking to know how Forget those hours That killed sometimes With blows of "why" The heart of bliss Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
I will offer you Pearls of rain Coming from a country Where it does not rain I will plow the earth Until after I die To blanket your body With gold and light I will create a realm Where love shall be king Where love shall be law Where you shall be queen Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
Do not leave me For you, I will invent Nonsensical words That you will understand I will speak to you Of those lovers Who saw twice Their hearts set ablaze To you I will recount The story of that king Deceased of not having Been able to meet you Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
It was often seen That fire would be reborn Of the ancient volcano Which was thought too old There are, there seems Burnt lands Yielding more wheat Than the best April And when the evening comes So that a sky might flame The red and the black Do they not wed Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
Do not leave me I shall no longer cry I shall no longer speak I will but hide here Watching you Dance and smile Listening to you Sing and laugh Allow me to become The shadow of your shadow The shadow of your hand The shadow of your dog, but Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me Do not leave me
Another attempt here: http://www.spies.com/~lennart/Brel/NeMeQuittePas.html
Don't leave me. We must forget all that can be forgotten, that already has passed away. Forget the times of misunderstandings, and the times lost trying to know how Forget those hours which sometimes killed in attacks of "whys" the heart of happiness. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. I'll cover you with pearls of rain from countries where it never rains. I will dig the earth until my death to cover your body with gold and lights. I will make a land, where love will be king, where love will be law, and you my queen. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me.
Do not leave me. I'll make up crazy words that you'll understand. I'll tell you about the lovers who have twice seen their hearts catch fire. I'll tell you the story of this king who died from not being able to meet you. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me.
We often see the fire erupt from the ancient volcano we once thought too old It is shown that lands that were burned gave more wheat than the best April. And when the evening comes with the sky blazing -- the red and the black -- which doesn't blend. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me.
Don't leave me. I won't cry anymore I won't talk anymore I will hide there. To watch you dance and smile and to hear you sing and then laugh. Let me become the shadow of your shadow, the shadow of your hand, the shadow of your dog. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me.
(Unknown/LL)
I would simply say 'Don't leave me' as the last version does
or someone could try to make it scan closer to the original by saying 'Please don't leave me'
it is translated into Esperanto here
http://esperanto-panorama.net/muziko/kanzonoj/quitte.htm
and it scans pretty well in Esperanto!
BUT, most Americans, either on recordings by Sandler & Young or other lounge singers, or theater goers who flocked to 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well...' heard this version written by Rod McKuen
If You Go Away
If you go away on this summer day Then you might as well take the sun away All the birds that flew in the summer sky When our love was new and our hearts were high When the day was young and the night was long And the moon stood still for the nightbird sung If you go away If you go away If you go away If you go away
But if you stay I'll make you a day Like no day has been or will be again We'll sail the sun We'll ride on the rain We'll talk to the trees And worship the wind Then if you go, I'll understand Leave me just enough love to hold in my hand If you go away,br> If you go away If you go away If you go away
If you go away as I know you will You must tell the world to stop turning till You return again if you ever do For what good is love without loving you I can tell you now as you turn to go I'll be dying slowly till the next hello If you go away If you go away If you go away
But if you stay I'll make you a night Like no night has been or will be again I'll sail on your smile I'll ride on your touch I'll talk to your eyes that I love so much But if you go I won't cry Though the good is gone from the world. Goodbye If you go away If you go away If you go away If you go away
If you go away as I know you must There'll be nothing left in the world to trust Just an empty room Full of empty space Like that empty look I see on your face I'd have been the shadow of your shadow If I had thought it might have kept me by your side If you go away If you go away If you go away Please don't go away.
Rod McKuen
Obvious to anyone that this is not a translation, it is a new song set to Brel's melody, but 99.99999...% of Americans believe it is a translation of Brel's song into English, and probably have a reduced impression of the beauty and value of Brel's songs because of it. Brel's song is a heart rending plea, McKuen's is a silly musing.
The point is some real translations of songs posted to the DT should be included when possible, or added later, to help people evaluate the importance, beauty, philosophy or total worthlessness of the songs.
I have an English version of 'Don't GO Away' that I'll dig out some time and share, any others tried already?
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