Leonard Cohen in French translation
A couple singable excerpts of Leonard Cohen songs, as translated into French by librelance
Complete versions unavailable due to copyright
Suzanne
Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her
And you know that she’s half-crazy but that’s why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer that you’ve always been her lover (…)
Suzanne t’emmène dans sa chambre sur la berge
Où défilent les navires tandis que la nuit chavire
Et tu la sais presque folle, c’est pourquoi tu t’abandonnes
Et goûtes le thé et les oranges débarqués tout droit de Chine
Et quand tu voudrais qu’elle sache que ton cœur n’a pas d’attaches,
Elle regarde l’onde et laisse l’eau répondre que son cœur est ta demeure (…)
© 2020 Marie, librelance, translator
Dance Me to the End of Love
(…)
Dance me to the children who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now, though every thread is torn
Dance me to the end of love
(…)
(…)
Danse-moi pour que naissent les enfants qui s’impatientent,
Danse, que nos lèvres percent le voile qui nous enchante
Dresse un refuge de draps au cœur de la tourmente,
Danse-moi au bout de l’amour, danse-moi au bout de l’amour
(…)
© 2020 Marie, librelance, translator