When I Was Most Beautiful

Pete Seeger

Originale

Altra traduzione inglese, più letterale, trovata qui

WHEN I WAS MOST BEAUTIFUL When I was most beautiful, Cities were falling And from unexpected places Blue sky was seen When I was most beautiful People around me were killed And for paint and powder I lost the chance When I was most beautiful Nobody gave me kind gifts. Men knew only to salute And went away. When I was most beautiful My country lost the war I paraded the main street With my blouse sleeves rolled high When I was most beautiful Jazz overflowed the radio; I broke the prohibition against smoking; Sweet music of another land! When I was most beautiful I was most unhappy I was quite absurd I was quite lonely That’s why I decided to live long Like Monsieur Rouault, Who was a Very old man, When he painted such terribly beautiful pictures, You see...?

WHEN I WAS MOST BEAUTIFUL When I was most beautiful: Towns were fallen down, and; Through the unlikely spot, I used to see various things: the blue sky, etc. When I was most beautiful: Many neighbors were killed In the factories, on the sea, and on the nameless isles; I had lost my chance to doll me up forever. When I was most beautiful: No one gave me any lovely gift to me; Men knew only hand salute, And left only their charming glances on me: they've gone. When I was most beautiful: My head was hollow, My heart was hardened, Only my limbs were shining in sorrel. When I was most beautiful: My country lost a war; "They must be kidding me!" I marched in, Rolling up my blouse sleeves, to the obsequious town. When I was most beautiful: Radio was fountain of Jazz. Feeling my head whirled as if I broke my vow not to smoke, I devoured the sweet foreign music. When I was most beautiful: I was very unhappy. I was very irrelevant. I was extremely lonely. So I decided: I would live long, if possible. Like a painter of tremendously beautiful pictures in his old age, Old Rouault of France, ... as you know.