Rien à jeter -He would not change a single bit of his girl-friend

This is a light-hearted love song written for Joha Heiman. The poet is playing the popular game of deciding the most important things that he would take with him if he were marooned on a desert island. In fact, he is selecting the most treasured parts of his girl friend’s body. He begins at the top and moves down. In the last two verses he becomes impatient knowing her charm is the whole person. On one French Brassens website, this song is placed in twelfth position in a list of the most popular Brassens songs.

Sans ses cheveux qui volent J'aurais, dorénavant, Des difficultés folles À voir d'où vient le vent. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter. Je me demande comme(1) Subsister sans ses joues M'offrant deux belles pommes Nouvelles chaque jour. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter. Sans sa gorge(2), ma tête, Dépourvue de coussin, Reposerait par terre Et rien n'est plus malsain. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter. Sans ses hanches solides(3) Comment faire, demain, Si je perds l'équilibre, Pour accrocher mes mains ? Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter. Elle a mille autres choses Précieuses encore Mais, en spectacle, j'ose Pas donner tout son corps. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter. Des charmes de ma mie J'en passe et des meilleurs. Vos cours d'anatomie Allez les prendre ailleurs. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter D'ailleurs, c'est sa faiblesse, Elle tient à ses os Et jamais ne se laisse- Rait couper en morceaux. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter. Elle est quelque peu fière Et chatouilleuse assez Et l'on doit tout entière La prendre ou la laisser. Tout est bon chez elle, y a rien à jeter, Sur l'île déserte il faut tout emporter 1969 - La Religieuse

Without her wind-blown hair I would have, ever after A hell of a job seeing Where the wind is blowing from. All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. I stop to wonder just how I’d fare without her cheeks Giving me two fine apples New and fresh each day. All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. Without her bosom my head Deprived of cushioning Would rest upon the ground And nothing is less safe. All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. Without her hips so plump What’ll I do tomorrow If I lose my balance For grabbing with my hands? All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. She’s a’thousand other things Prized by me the same But I daren’t in public List all her body parts All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. I skip some of my love’s charms And these some of the best. Your course ‘f anatomy Go and get it elsewhere. All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. Besides, that’s her weakness She hangs on to her bones And’ll never let herself Be cut up into bits. All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot. She is just a bit proud And is quite ticklesome And people have to take All of her or leave her. All is right with her – there’s nothing to discard, On the desert isle, we need to take the lot.

TRANSLATION NOTES

1) Comme is here used in the old sense meaning - comment

2) Gorge means throat but sometimes has the sense of bust e.g. soutien-gorge = bra

3) Ses hanches solides - In several poems Brassens expresses his admiration for a well-rounded female bottom and wrote a full poem in its praise: Vénus Callipyge.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

During a conversation in the later years of his life, Brassens named this song among those he said were inspired by his love for his lifelong partner, Joha Heiman. Although it is a powerful declaration of love - he would not change the least part of her-, there is also the teasing which we come to expect when Brassens talks of his "Püppchen". He was only a shy youth of eighteen when her beauty had first captivated him. He used to gaze upon her as she passed him along the streets of the quartier of Paris, where he lived. (Fuller notes about their relationship are posted with the song: Je mesuis fait tout petit

Another love song that makes play of detachable parts of the body in the game of love is “All of me”. Here it is sung by Billie Holiday (1941)



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Voltaire Candide Complete Study Notes

During my teaching career, I put together many pages of notes on Candide by Voltaire. Now that I am retired I am putting them on the Internet so that fellow teachers and also students of French Literature can use them.

(Please click on one of the 18 numbered titles below  to access 
the topic of your choice)               

1) SUMMARY OF THE BOOK WITH COMMENTARY

Right - In this old edition, Voltaire conceals his identity

2) The life and character of Voltaire (Pictured below)

3) Identifying the literary genre to which the book belongs.

     

The BBC Jonathan Swift webpage to which reference is
made can be reached with this link:
"Gulliver's Travels": How it Comments on Society








(Voltaire’s aim in the book was to attack Philosophical Optimism and there are four sections, 4-7 below, to cover this topic :)

4) Optimistic Philosophy in the eighteenth century              

5) Direct references to Philosophical Optimism in the book

6) Voltaire's hostility to Philosophical Optimism

7) Voltaire's evidence against Philosophical Optimism

Right a picture of one piece of evidence - The disastrous Lisbon earthquake

(If Voltaire is attacking optimism, we ask the question whether this makes for a gloomy, pessimistic book? Topics 8- 10 below are relevant to this question)

8) Is "Candide" a totally pessimistic book?

9) What is Candide's final philosophy of life?

10) Voltaire's literary style (This topic is relevant to the question of pessimism also because the style serves to dispel any gloomy tone)

(Finally we discuss the characters in topics 11- 18)                  

11) Are the characters merely puppets?

12) The Character of Candide

13) The character of Pangloss

14) The character of Cunegonde

Picture right - Cunegonde and Candide are caught behind the screen, after she had invited him to join in a biological experiment.

15) The character of the German Jesuit Baron

16) The character of the old woman

17) The character of Cacambo

18)The character of Martin

                           


The Auto-da-fe at which Candide had a starring role, burnt over a slow fire as a heretic, at a religious service, in front of a huge congregation, which included Cunegonde.

Marinette (J'avais l'air d'un c..) by Georges Brassens

This is a light-hearted comic song that people find fun to sing. It is the tale of a hapless youth in love with a beautiful girl, who is out of his class in every way. In comic succession, each approach he uses to win her proves a disaster. The song went into the pop charts in 1975, when Denis Pépin, a pop star of the time, recorded it. His video is at the end of this post.

Georges Brassens - Marinette (
Uploaded by kyssiane. - Explore more music videos.
Marinette

Quand j'ai couru chanter ma p'tite chanson pour Marinette La belle, la traîtresse était allée à l'Opéra... Avec ma p'tit' chanson, j'avais l'air d'un con ma mère, Avec ma p'tit' chanson, j'avais l'air d'un con. Quand j'ai couru porter mon pot d' moutarde à Marinette La belle, la traîtresse avait déjà fini d' dîner... Avec mon petit pot, j'avais l'air d'un con ma mère, Avec mon petit pot, j'avais l'air d'un con. Quand j'offris pour étrennes un' bicyclette à Marinette La belle, la traîtresse avait acheté une auto... Avec mon p'tit vélo, j'avais l'air d'un con ma mère, Avec mon p'tit vélo, j'avais l'air d'un con. Quand j'ai couru tout chose(2) au rendez-vous de Marinette La bell' disait : "J' t'adore" à un sal' typ' qui l'embrassait... Avec mon bouquet d' fleurs, j'avais l'air d'un con ma mère, Avec mon bouquet d' fleurs, j'avais l'air d'un con. Quand j'ai couru brûler la p'tit' cervelle à Marinette La belle était déjà morte d'un rhume mal placé... Avec mon revolver, j'avais l'air d'un con ma mère, Avec mon revolver, j'avais l'air d'un con. Quand j'ai couru, lugubre, à l'enterr'ment de Marinette La belle, la traîtresse était déjà ressuscitée...(3) Avec ma p'tit couronn', j'avais l'air d'un con ma mère, Avec ma p'tit couronn', j'avais l'air d'un con. Georges Brassens 1955 - Chanson pour l'Auvergnat

When I ran round to sing my little song to Marinetta My love, the traitress had gone to the Opera With just my little song, I looked a right fool,(1) dear mother With just my little song, I looked a right fool. When I ran round with my pot of mustard for Marinetta My love, the traitress had already had her meal. With just my little pot, I looked a right fool, dear mother With just my little pot, I looked a right fool. When I chose a bicy’cle as my gift to Marinetta My love, the traitress had bought herself a car With just my little bike, I looked a right fool, dear mother With just my little bike, I looked a right fool. When I ran much bothered for a date with Marinetta She was say’ng: “I love you” to a vile bloke who held her tight. With my bouquet of flow’rs, I looked a right fool, dear mother With my bouquet of flow’rs, I looked a right fool. When I ran to blast out the tiny brain of Marinetta She was already dead from a cold badly placed... With my drawn revolver, I looked a right fool, dear mother With my drawn revolver, I looked a right fool. When I rushed, filled with gloom, to the funeral of Marinetta My love, the traitress was already come back to life With my little wreath clasped, I looked a right fool, dear mother With my little wreath clasped, I looked a right fool.

TRANSLATION NOTES

1) Looked like a fool – Brassens uses the word for the female genitalia, which is commonly used in French for “idiot” - even by respectable people at times. The direct English equivalent has the same meaning, but to me it is more offensive. I had previously chosen the word “twat” in English, having the same meaning, but perhaps less offensive. Uncomfortable with this word in what I see as a family song, I have now made this change.

2) Tout chose – “Être tout chose” is a colloquial expression for to be ill at ease

3) Déjà ressuscitée... In a number of other poems, Brassens talks of the idea of a person living on after death e.g. Trompe-la-Mort – Supplique pour être enterré à la plage de Sète etc.
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The following is the recording of the song made in 1975 by Denis Pépin. He was a successful pop star at the end of the 1970s but had a short career. He died in January 2010 aged 61.



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Les Philistins - A son you dreamt of as a lawyer turns out a hairy poet

I find this a very charming little song which Brassens wrote from the poem of Jean Richepin. It also has a touch of poignancy. I enjoy the immaculate style with which the very attractive French singer, Sandrine Devienne performs it and I have made hers the first video on this post
Brassens has songs of two of the poems of the 19th century writer and poet, Richepin (1849-1926); the other is “Les oiseaux de passage”, which I have not yet translated.

This is a portrait of Jean Richepin and when I draw attention to his long bushy hair, his beard and his moustache, I am not being gratuitously personal.

What a come-down it would be if your child grew up to be a person who looked like this!  At least that is what the "philistines" think.

Brassens' recording of this song :

Les Philistins(1)

Philistins, épiciers, Tandis que vous caressiez, Vos femmes, En songeant, aux petits Que vos grossiers appétits Engendrent, Vous pensiez: "Ils seront, Menton rasé, ventre rond Notaires." Mais pour bien vous punir, Un jour vous voyez venir Sur terre Des enfants non voulus Qui deviennent chevelus Poètes. Vous pensiez: "Ils seront, Menton rasé, ventre rond Notaires." Mais pour bien vous punir, Un jour vous voyez venir Sur terre Des enfants non voulus Qui deviennent chevelus Poètes. Jean Richepin 1957 - Je me suis fait tout petit

Philistines, grocerymen All the while you were caressing Your wives Dreaming of  little ones That your lecherous appetites Engender, You used to think: "They will be Clean shaven, round of belly Lawyers." But to soundly punish you  One fine day you see arrive On earth Children not as wished for Who turn out to be long-haired Poets. You used to think: "They will be Clean shaven, round of belly Lawyers But to soundly punish you One fine day you see arrive On earth Children not as wished for Who turn out to be long-haired Poets.

 TRANSLATION NOTE

(1) Definitions of the word "philistine" from an English and from a French dictionary:

Philistine - often the word is not written with a capital “P”

a :  a person who is guided by materialism and is usually disdainful of intellectual or artistic values

b :  a person who is not informed in a certain area of knowledge.

 Philistin

a :  Personne qui a peu de goût pour les arts et la littérature. - b :  Personne qui par extension est ignorant et fat (In English-smug) .

I like Sandrine Devienne's recording of this song

Philistins Sandrine Devienne by viala12

It appears that Sandrine Devienne has recorded an album of the songs of Brassens where his lyrics are taken from other French poets:

Please click here to return to the full alphabetical list of my Georges Brassens selection

Le Pornographe- he tells where his reputation as a writer of dirty songs leads him.

Brassens muses over his reputation as a writer of dirty songs. It is a paradox that, although he would not use coarse words in his personal life, he uses them quite freely in his professional life. He explains how this came about and describes the exaggeration caused by the stereotyping effect of public expectation. He has no fear of condemnation by the gods based on the meaningless human criteria of pornography.



Le pornographe

Autrefois, quand j'étais marmot, J'avais la phobie des gros mots, Et si je pensais "merde" tout bas, Je ne le disais pas... Mais(1) Aujourd'hui que mon gagne-pain C'est de parler comme un turlupin, (2) Je ne pense plus "merde", pardi! Mais je le dis. Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson(3) De la chanson. Afin d'amuser la galerie Je crache des gauloiseries, Des pleines bouches de mots crus Tout à fait incongrus... Mais En me retrouvant seul sous mon toit, Dans ma psyché je me montre au doigt. Et me crie: "Va te faire, homme incorrecte, Voir par les Grecs." Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson. Tous les samedis je vais à confesse M'accuser d'avoir parlé de fesses Et je promets ferme au marabout De les mettre tabou... Mais Craignant, si je n'en parle plus, De finir à l'Armée du Salut,(4) Je remets bientôt sur le tapis Les fesses impies. Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson. Ma femme est, soit dit en passant, D'un naturel concupiscent Qui l'incite à se coucher nue Sous le premier venu... Mais M'est-il permis, soyons sincère, D'en parler au café-concert Sans dire qu'elle a, suraigu, Le feu au cul? Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson. J'aurais sans doute du bonheur, Et peut-être la Croix d'honneur, A chanter avec décorum L'amour qui mène à Rome...(5) Mais Mon ange m'a dit: "Turlututu! Chanter l'amour t'est défendu S'il n'éclôt pas sur le destin D'une putain." Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson. Et quand j'entonne, guilleret, A un patron de cabaret Une adorable bucolique, Il est mélancolique... Et Me dit, la voix noyée de pleurs: "S'il vous plaît de chanter les fleurs, Qu'elles poussent au moins rue Blondel(6) Dans un bordel." Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson Chaque soir avant le dîner, A mon balcon mettant le nez, Je contemple les bonnes gens Dans le soleil couchant... Mais N’ me d’mandez pas d’chanter ça, si Vous redoutez d'entendre ici Que j'aime à voir, de mon balcon, Passer les cons.(7) Je suis le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson Les bonnes âmes d'ici bas Comptent ferme qu'à mon trépas Satan va venir embrocher Ce mort mal embouché...(8) Mais, Mais veuille le grand manitou, Pour qui le mot n'est rien du tout, Admettre en sa Jérusalem, A l'heure blême,(9) Le pornographe Du phonographe, Le polisson De la chanson. Georges Brassens 1958 - Le pornographe

In the past, when I was a kid I just could not stand bad language And if I thought “shit” on the quiet I did’nt say it out loud But Today when earning my living Means to speak like a social rebel I no longer think “shit” - no way! But I say it. I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song Just to amuse the gallery I come out with dirty remarks With mouthfuls of crude expressions Completely uncalled for But When I get back home, all on my own In my mind’s eye, I point straight at myself And yell : “Incorrect man, get y’self Seen by the Greeks. » I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song On Sat’days, I go to confess To tell I’ve been speaking of bums And firmly pledge the holy man To rule them out tabou But Fearing, if there’s no more mention To end up dependent on charity, I’m soon bringing up once again The so impious bums. I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song My wife is, mentioned in passing, By nature quite concupiscent Which makes her go to bed naked Under the first man to call…. But Am I allowed, let’s be honest To bring it up in the music-hall Without saying she has, to the point, A hot fanny ? I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song No doubt I would have better luck And perhaps the Croix d'honneur, Through singing with due decorum The love that leads to Rome …. But My angel told me “Fiddledee ! Singing of love is forbidden Unless it hinges on the fate Of a comm’n whore. I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song When I strike up a cheerful song For the boss of a cabaret A likable man , bucolic He is melancholic And Tells me, his voice choking with tears If you enjoy singing of flow’rs At least let them grow in Soho In a brothel. I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song Every evening before dinner Nipping out on my balcony I gaze at all the good people In the sunset’s soft light..... But Don’t ask me to sing of that if You’re afraid to hear me say here I like to see from my balc’ny The twats go by. I’m the pornographer Of phonography, The rude chappie Of pop’lar song The right-minded down here below Firmly expect that at my death Satan’s going to roast on a spit This man who said bad things But May he be willing the high chief, For whom words alone matter not To admit in his Jerusalem At the pale hour The pornographer Of phonography The rude chappie Of pop’lar song

TRANSLATION NOTES

1)     Mais je le dis- Brassens splits each verse into two by the word “but”, so that the second part becomes a surprise or amusing qualification of the first. This applies in all the verses except one where “but” becomes “and”.

2)     un turlupin- . Brassens tells us, at the end of the song, that, according to the teachings of the Church, Satan will finally pitchfork him into the eternal fires of Hell, in punishment for using rude words and for talking too frankly about sexual matters. The strictures of the Church were more important at the time when Brassens was writing.  Brassens’ reference to the Turlupins reminds us that the issue of freedom of thought and expression is centuries old:
The Turlupins were part of a movement of religious dissent that emerged in France in the second half of the 14th century. We can only deduce the ideas of the different factions from what their adversaries in the Church said about them. Some apparently called themselves the “Brethren of the Free Spirit” and “The Society of the Poor". One prominent leader was  Jeanne Daubenton from Picardy.. She taught the virtues of the simple life and preached that individuals could achieve salvation through Christ by direct prayer without the intervention of the Church. Also she denied there was any sin in satisfying one’s sensual desires.   Pope Gregory XI, with the cooperation of the King of France, Charles V took action to suppress the religious dissidents. Gregory, who was pope from 1370-1378 was the last pope of the period when the Roman Catholic church was governed from France instead of Rome.  He reestablished the Holy Inquisition in France and people with views independent of the Church were excommunicated; some were thrown into prison and some executed.  Jeanne Daubenton, was arrested in 1372 and subjected to long hours of torture in the Chatelet Prison.  Finally with her body totally broken by the brutality, she was humped on a cart and taken not to the official execution ground, the Place de Grève, but as a final humiliation to the Place des Porceaux , where she was tied upright to a stake to suffer the required death for heretics - the agonising death of the burning of a living human body. (Historical facts from Vincent Thouvenot on French Wikipedia.)

3)     Le polisson - The rude chappie – I used the word chappie because polisson has the idea of “naughty”, “rascally” and I wanted to include a sense of harmlessness. The association in my mind is with the title of “the Cheeky Chappie” given to Max Miller (1894-1963), one of Britain's top comedians in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. The material of his jokes and songs was risqué, full of sexual double entendres which outraged the strait-laced.

4)     L'Armée du Salut – Brassens mentions the Salvation Army because it is known across the world as the final refuge of the destitute.

5)     L'amour qui mène à Rome...- This is perhaps a reference to the respectful acclaim granted to Brassens’ contemporary, the singing priest, le Père Duval, about whom Brassens relates a personal anecdote in his song;"Les Trompettes de la Renommée.”

6)     rue Blondel – was a street in Paris with a red light reputation

7)     Les cons - My suggestion for this translation refers to “les bonnes gens”, whom Brassens observes from his balcony. In the second part of the verse, under pressure from his public reputation, he calls them “cons”, which in its milder sense means silly, misguided people.

8)     “Emboucher” a musical instrument is to put it to your mouth to play. The idiom “Mal embouché” means “expressed in a coarse manner”.  We have a phrase in English to bad mouth.

9) L'heure blême - Brassens uses elsewhere this image of fading light to depict the moment of death.





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