La marguerite [English translation]
La marguerite [English translation]
The little
daisy
fell,
oddly enough,
from the priest's
breviary.
Three scandalous
petals
on the altar,
an indiscreet
Easter daisy,
where does it come from?
In the sacrosanct
enclosure,
what a stir!
What goings on,
yes, my dear,
believe me !
The frivolous
flying flower
arrives as
contraband
from the flowerbeds
of the convent.
Our Father,
who, I hope,
art in heaven,
pay no attention
to malicious
mutterings,
the lightweight
flower, for pity’s sake !
doesn’t come
from young nuns,
from conical hats
in a witches’ sabbath.
Know – by the devil !
that one day, between
two Ave Marias,
on the stone base1
of a wayside cross
he found it,
and put it,
a thing permitted
by heaven,
clearly and unambiguously2,
between the pages
of the missal.
Let these
whisperings cease,
I pray you.
No, the priest
is not a traitor
to Mary.
Let no-one
suspect,
never more,
the little
daisy,
Oh for heaven's sake! ...
1. even if the cross were all stone instead of a woodent cross with a stone base/foundation it would be odd to find a daisy on the cross-arm, or on top of the upright2. as I understand it the French phrase means that the meaning is not obfuscated by the hordes of complicated clauses often employed in lawyer-produced documents to ensure that what the meaning actually is can always be disputed
- Artist:Georges Brassens
- Album:Le trompettes de la renommée