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La guerre de '14-'18

Georges Brassens
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OriginalVersione inglese di Flanders & Swann, dal disco ‎
LA GUERRE DE '14-'18THE WAR OF 14-18
Depuis que l´homme écrit l´Histoire
Depuis qu´il bataille à cœur joie
Entre mille et une guerr´ notoires
Si j´étais t´nu de faire un choix
A l´encontre du vieil Homère
Je déclarerais tout de suite:
"Moi, mon colon, cell´ que j´préfère,
C´est la guerr´ de quatorz´-dix-huit!"
War has had it's apologians,
Ever since history began,
From the times of the Greeks and Trojans, when they sang of arms and the man,
But if you asked me to name the best, Sir,
I'd tell you the one I mean,
Head and shoulders above the rest, Sir, was the War of 14-18,
Head and shoulders above the rest, Sir, stands the War of 14-18.
Est-ce à dire que je méprise
Les nobles guerres de jadis
Que je m´soucie comm´ d´un´cerise
De celle de soixante-dix?
Au contrair´, je la révère
Et lui donne un satisfecit
Mais, mon colon, celle que j´préfère
C´est la guerr´ de quatorz´-dix-huit
There were the wars against all those Louis,
There were Caesar's wars in Gaul,
The was Britain's war in Suez, which wasn't a war at all,
There was the war of the Spanish succession,
Many other wars in between,
But they none of them made an impression like the war of 14-18,
They didn't make the same inpression as the war of 14-18.
Je sais que les guerriers de Sparte
Plantaient pas leurs epées dans l´eau
Que les grognards de Bonaparte
Tiraient pas leur poudre aux moineaux
Leurs faits d´armes sont légendaires
Au garde-à-vous, je les félicite
Mais, mon colon, celle que j´préfère
C´est la guerr´ de quatorz´-dix-huit
The war of American independence,
That was enjoyable, by and large,
Watching England's free descendants busy defeating German garge,
But the Boer war was a poor war, And I'm still inclined to lean,
Though Sir, it possibly isn't your war like the war of 14-18,
Though, it probably isn't your war, Sir, the war of 14-18.
Bien sûr, celle de l´an quarante
Ne m´as pas tout à fait déçu
Elle fut longue et massacrante
Et je ne crache pas dessus
Mais à mon sens, elle ne vaut guère
Guèr´ plus qu´un premier accessit
Moi, mon colon, celle que j´ préfère
C´est la guerr´ de quatorz´-dix-huit
There are certainly plenty of wars to choose from, you pick whichever one you please,
Like the one we've had all the news from liberating the Vietnamese,
Or those wars for God and country, be it Korean or Philippine,
Sir, if you'll pardon my affrontry, give me the war of 14-18,
If you'll pardon my affrontry, Sir, the war of 14-18,
Mon but n´est pas de chercher noise
Au guérillas, non, fichtre, non
Guerres saintes, guerres sournoises
Qui n´osent pas dire leur nom,
Chacune a quelque chos´ pour plaire
Chacune a son petit mérite
Mais, mon colon, celle que j´préfère
C´est la guerr´ de quatorz´-dix-huit
Every war has it's own attraction from total war to border rage,
Call it rebellion, police action,
War of containment or crusade,
I don't underrate the late war we see so often on the screen,
But that wasn't the really great war like the war of 14-18,
No, the late war wasn't the great war like the war of 14-18.
Du fond de son sac à malices
Mars va sans doute, à l´occasion,
En sortir une, un vrai délice
Qui me fera grosse impression
En attendant je persévère
A dir´ que ma guerr´ favorite
Cell´, mon colon, que j´voudrais faire
C´est la guerr´ de quatorz´-dix-huit.
No doubt Mars, among his chattels, has got some really splendid war,
Full of bigger and bloodier battles that we've ever seen before,
But until that time comes, Sir, when that greater war comes on the scene,
The one that I on the whole prefer, Sir, is the war of 14-18,
Yes, the one that I still prefer, Sir, is the war of 14-18.


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