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Le jour le plus froid au monde (The Coldest Day in the World) Posted by on Feb 3, 2014 in Music, Vocabulary

Today’s post tells l’histoire (the story) of Little Jack, a boy born in l’Écosse (Scotland) on what is said to have been le jour le plus froid du monde (the coldest day in the world), nearly a century and a half ago.

On that fateful day, baby Little Jack had his cœur gelé (heart frozen.)

A mysterious midwife, called Docteur Madeleine, carefully replaced his heart with a pendule à coucou (cuckoo-clock.)

The transplant worked just fine…

But it did not work just anyhow.

It functioned according to some very specific conditions.

Most important of all these conditions was the Little Jack was to never, ever, fall in love.

All his life, Little jack lived worry-free.

That is, until the day he met Andalusian singer Miss Acacia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUqcZpwhesc

Le Jour le Plus Froid au Monde (The Coldest Day in the World)

On dit que je suis né le jour le plus froid du monde 

They say I was born on the coldest day of the world

On dit que je suis né avec le cœur gelé 

They say I was born with a frozen heart

On dirait même qu’on m’a porté à bout de ventre

It looks even like I got out of the womb

En haut de la colline qui surplombe la ville… ET SES CLOCHERS!

On top of the hill overlooking the city… And its steeples!

Là haut, vivait dans une drôle de maison, une sage femme dite folle par tous les habitants

Up there, lived in a strange house, a midwife said to be crazy by all the inhabitants

Alors qu’elle passait son temps à réparer les gens, les perdus, les cassés, avec ou sans papier

When in fact she spent her time reparing the lost and  broken people, legal and illegal alike

Oh, Madeleine qui aimait tant 

Oh, Madeleine who liked so much

Oh, Madeleine qui adorait

Oh, Madeleine who loved so much

Oh, Madeleine qui aimait tant…

Oh, Madeleine who liked so much…

RÉPARER LES GENS!

Reparing people!

Comme elle m’a installé sur la table de la cuisine

When she set me up on the kitchen table

J’ai cru un instant qu’elle voulait me dévorer 

I thought for a moment that she wanted to devour me

Me prendrait-elle pour une poulet grlllé

Is she mistaking me for a grilled chicken

Que l’on aurait oublié de tuer? 

That people forgot to kill?

Elle me découpait la peau de la poitrine

She cut the skin of my chest

Ses grands ciseaux crantés plantés entre mes os

Her big notched scissors stuck between my bones

Elle a glissé une horloge dans mes débris glacés en lieux et place de mon petit cœur gelé

She slipped through a clock into my iced remains to replace my little frozen heart

Oh, Madeleine qui aimait tant 

Oh, Madeleine who liked so much

Oh, Madeleine qui adorait

Oh, Madeleine who loved so much

Oh, Madeleine qui aimait tant…

Oh, Madeleine who liked so much…

RÉPARER LES GENS!

Reparing people!

Elle m’a dit: “Mon petit, il y a trois choses que jamais

She said to me: “Son, there are three things that never

Oh grand jamais tu n’devras oublier

Ever you are to forget

Premièrement, ne touche pas à tes aiguilles

First of all, do not touch your clock hands

Deuxièment, ta colère tu devras maitriser 

Second, you must contain your anger

Et surtout ne jamais oublier, quoi qu’il arrive

And especially never forget, no matter what happens

Ne jamais se laisser tomber amoureux

Never let your self fall in love

Car alors pour toujours, à l’horloge de ton coeur

Because the forever, within your heart clock

La grande aiguille des heures transpercera ta peau

The big hand of time shall pierce your skin

Explosera l’horloge

The clock will explode

Imploseront tes os

Your bones will implode

La mécanique du cœur 

The mechanics of your heart

Sera brisée de nouveau

Will be broken once again

Oh Madeleine

Oh Madeleine

Oh Madeleine…

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