fulicasenia
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:03
"Il a fait des bourgeons" = "buds appeared" or "it put forth buds" I think
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French
Original lyrics
Le p'tit bonheur
C'était un petit bonheur
Que j'avais ramassé
Il était tout en pleurs
Sur le bord d'un fossé
Quand il m'a vu passer
Il s'est mis à crier :
"Monsieur, ramassez-moi
Chez vous amenez-moi
Mes frères m'ont oublié,
je suis tombé, je suis malade
Si vous n'me cueillez point,
je vais mourir, quelle ballade !
Je me ferai petit,
tendre et soumis,
je vous le jure
Monsieur, je vous en prie,
délivrez-moi de ma torture"
J'ai pris le p'tit bonheur
L'ai mis sous mes haillons
J'ai dit: "Faut pas qu'il meure
Viens-t'en dans ma maison "
Alors le p'tit bonheur
A fait sa guérison
Sur le bord de mon cœur
Y avait une chanson
Mes jours, mes nuits, mes peines,
mes deuils, mon mal, tout fut oublié
Ma vie de désœuvré,
j'avais dégoût d'la r'commencer
Quand il pleuvait dehors
ou qu'mes amis m'faisaient des peines
J'prenais mon p'tit bonheur
et j'lui disais: "C'est toi ma reine"
Mon bonheur a fleuri
Il a fait des bourgeons
C'était le paradis
Ça s'voyait sur mon front
Or, un matin joli
Que j'sifflais ce refrain
Mon bonheur est parti
Sans me donner la main
J'eus beau le supplier,
le cajoler, lui faire des scènes
Lui montrer le grand trou
qu'il me faisait au fond du cœur
Il s'en allait toujours,
la tête haute, sans joie, sans haine
Comme s'il ne pouvait plus voir
le soleil dans ma demeure
J'ai bien pensé mourir
De chagrin et d'ennui
J'avais cessé de rire
C'était toujours la nuit
Il me restait l'oubli
Il me restait l'mépris
Enfin que j'me suis dit :
Il me reste la vie
J'ai repris mon bâton, mes deuils,
mes peines et mes guenilles
Et je bats la semelle
dans des pays de malheureux
Aujourd'hui quand je vois
une fontaine ou une fille
Je fais un grand détour
ou bien je me ferme les yeux
...Je fais un grand détour
ou bien je me ferme les yeux...
Submitted by 
crimson_antics on 2012-09-18
crimson_antics on 2012-09-18Contributors: 
Valeriu Raut
Valeriu RautEnglish
Translation
The Small Happiness
It was a small happiness1
I had picked up
It was in tears
On the side of a road
When it saw me passing by
It started shouting:
"Sir, pick me up
Take me home with you
My brothers have forgotten me, I have fallen, I am sick
If you do not pluck me, I will die, what a ballad!
I won't take up much space, gentle and submissive, I promise you
Sir, I'm begging you, free me from this torture"
I took the small happiness
Put in under my rags
I said: "It must not die
Come into my house"
So the little happiness
Got better
At the edge of my heart
There was a song
My days, my nights, my sorrows, my mourning, my pain - they were all forgotten
My life as an unemployed man, I had no desire to start it all over again
When it rained outside, or when my friends caused me grief
I took my small happiness and told it: "It's you who are my queen"
My happiness blossomed
Buds appeared
It was heaven
You could see it on my face
And yet, on some beautiful morning
As I whistled this tune
My happiness left
Without shaking my hand
Even though I begged it, coaxed it, made a scene
Showed it the great hole it was making inside my heart
Still it left, its head held high, with neither joy nor hate
As if it couldn't see the sun from inside my home anymore
I thought I would die
Of sorrow and boredom
I had ceased laughing
It was always night
All I was left with was oblivion
All I was left with was contempt
At last I said to myself:
I still have life
Once more I picked up my stick, my mourning, my sorrows and my rags
And now I wander in sad countries
Now, when I see a fountain or a girl,
I either take the long way around or close my eyes
...I either take the long way around or close my eyes
- 1. 'Son petit boneur' means 'what makes one happy', but this song is written as if the 'happiness' was a tangible object.
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Comments
fulicasenia
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:03
crimson_antics
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:04
Thanks, I must admit I wasn't exactly sure how to translate this line :)
fulicasenia
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:08
If "Chez vous amenez-moi" is the most usual, stereotypical way of saying this in French, then the usual phrase in English would be "take me home with you."
crimson_antics
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:11
Actually the usual way to say it would be 'amenez-moi chez vous', but the author purposely changed the word order. I did replace 'bring' by 'take', though.
fulicasenia
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:12
could you ever say "ramassez-moi Chez vous?"
crimson_antics
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:17
Well, since 'ramasser' means 'collect/pick up/take', it wouldn't really make sense. Unless the person was lying around in the speaker's home, I guess, but even that would sound pretty weird (to me, at least). On the other hand, here in Quebec 'ramassez-vous chez moi' would mean 'come and gather at my house'. Only works when spoken though; it wouldn't be very good written French.
OR, in a really slangy Quebec French...I suppose 'ramassez-moi chez vous' could be meant as 'come and pick me up at your house..
fulicasenia
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:18
Then I would just go with "take me home with you" unless you want the little happiness to be saying something a bit odd and mysterious, instead of normal and friendly.
crimson_antics
Tue, 18/09/2012 - 03:20
Okay, I changed it to that. Then again...maybe it's a mysteriously friendly happiness? Haha.
Russia is waging a disgraceful war on Ukraine. Stand With Ukraine!
About translator
This song is a classic here in Quebec, and I hope I managed to do the original some justice.