Lyr Req: Ma Délire (Gabriel Yacoub)

08 Apr 02 - 09:08 AM (#685426)
Subject: French song about love and drink
From: Hecate

I'm after the words to a song called "Ma deliere" (spelling may be wobbly.) The only recording I've ever encountered was by a French chap called Gabriel Yacoub. It's an old, traditional French song. The only words I've been able to make out with any confidence from the cd go "Il faut boire, il faut boire quand ils parlent d'amour" which I think translates roughly as 'you have to drink when you talk about love." If anyone has this in French, that would be superb. I would certainly be interested if anyone has it in translation. Thanks in advance to anyone with any insight at all on this one.

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08 Apr 02 - 10:07 AM (#685460)
Subject: Lyr Add: MA DÉLIRE (Gabriel Yacoub version)
From: Malcolm Douglas

The song appeared on the album Bel (1990); lyrics are available at  gabriel yacoub.com.

MA DÉLIRE

(© 1990 trad. adaptation et arrangement : Gabriel Yacoub)

Ô ma délire tu t'en vas tu t'engages;
Pourquoi me faire languir aussi longtemps?
Et nous voilà à la fleur de l'âge,
Mais d'un âge agréable et charmant.

T'en souviens-tu, ma charmante Louise,
Quand nous étions sur l'herbe tous les deux?
Et nous parlions de nos tendres amours,
Mais à l'ombre d'un joli rosier.

Comment font-ils ceux qui n'ont pas de maîtresse?
Ils passent leur temps bien misérablement;
Et moi là-bas qui aime la plus belle,
Il faut boire et lui parler de l'amour.

The first line is difficult; délire is, literally, delerium, and as a term of endearment I can't think of a good English equivalent. It can sometimes mean inspiration. tu t'engages is also ambiguous, here; it may in this context mean you are going into service, or it may simply imply that the girl is keeping him dangling, alternately going away and promising commitment. Below is the best working translation I can come up with just now:

O I love you madly; you keep me in uncertainty;
Why do you make me languish so long?
And here we are in the flower of our years;
But of a pleasant and charming age.

Do you remember, my charming Louise,
When we two lay on the grass?
And we talked of our tender love,
But in the shade of a pretty rose-tree.

How do they fare, who have no truelove?
They pass their time most miserably;
And I down yonder who loves the fairest,
I must drink and speak to her of love.

The record doesn't appear to give any clue as to the source of this song, and, not having that particular one, I can't give any information on the tune.

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08 Apr 02 - 11:18 AM (#685490)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French song about love and drink
From: IanC

More information here Au coeur de ma délire.

Cheers!
Ian

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09 Apr 02 - 09:11 AM (#686073)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French song about love and drink
From: Hecate

many many thanks for that. Bryn.

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09 Apr 02 - 09:50 AM (#686106)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French song about love and drink
From: Amos

I think in comon English usage you would say "Oh, my delight, you are going off, making yourself busy with other things." Just an opinion. We know what they're like -- everybody's got one! :>) A

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09 Apr 02 - 10:07 AM (#686120)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: French song about love and drink
From: Malcolm Douglas

Not delight, I think; although the words resemble each other superficially, they have entirely different roots and meanings. The second part seems a perfectly reasonable interpretation, though maybe a little weak as compared to the French; which is so often the problem with the translation of idioms. I rather copped out, I must admit, by rendering what I felt was the closest to the intent of the phrase, though that did involve not actually translating the words!

Mind you, I'm pretty rusty with the French these days. A native speaker would be a help here, perhaps.

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