Eighteenth Century French Bergerette

Jeunes Fillettes → English translation

2 translations
English, Polish

Original lyrics

Jeunes Fillettes

Jeunes fillettes, profitez du temps,

La violette se cueillle au printemps.

Cette fleurette passe en peu de temps ;

Toute amourette passe également.

Jeunes fillettes, profitez du temps,

La violette se cueillle au printemps.

Dans le bel âge prenez un ami.

S'il est volage, rendez le lui !

Jeunes fillettes, profitez du temps,

La violette se cueillle au printemps.

Translation

Young little girls

Young little girls,

(Waste not your time // seize the moment)

the violet is picked in spring

(Tra la la la la)

(la ri lon lan la)

(Tra la la la la)

(la ri lon lan la)

This little flower stays but a short while,

as does infatuation.

Young little girls,

(Waste not your time // seize the moment)

the violet is picked in spring

(Tra la la la la)

(la ri lon lan la)

(Tra la la la la)

(la ri lon lan la)

At this ripe age,

take up a friend,

If he is fickle,

return to him the favor.

Young little girls,

(Waste not your time // seize the moment)

the violet is picked in spring

(Tra la la la la)

(la ri lon lan la)

(Tra la la la la)

(la ri lon lan la)

Thanks! ❤
thanked 25 times

Submitted by

bgwright22 on 2010-10-25

Author's comments:

(... //...) is an alternate translation... "seize the moment" might be too cliche? I didn't want to say "Make much of time" because it's too close to another similar poem , we might even use a negative phrase in English like "Waste not your time".

"La rirette" is a little lost in translation, it's used as a filler and sometimes to make a song sound more child-like (even if the subject matter is hardly meant for children!) so i thought "tra la la la la" gave it that light-hearted feel. But the second part "la ri lon lan la" is again filler so i left it.

Also "amourette" in French has the meaning of a fleeting infatuation but also references a plant - the double meaning doesn't work in English, however.

This is very much reminiscent of Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make much of time":

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying.

Comments

Floppylou

Mon, 11/12/2023 - 09:41

The source lyrics have been updated. Please review your translation.

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Eighteenth Century French Bergerette

Jeunes Fillettes → English translation

Jeunes Fillettes

Young little girls