On the first of May, the French give Muguet (Lilly of the Valley) to each other. I love it! French Husband (like 99 percent of France's population) will go out early in the morning, returning with a brin for whoever is home. It is the symbol of giving happiness to one another.
The song below is a French classic…
Les Temps du Muguet
Il est revenu le temps du muguet
The Lily of the Valley returns,
Comme un vieil ami retrouvé
Like an old found friend,
Il est revenu flâner le long des quais
It comes back strolling along the riverbank,
("Quais," is dock but I like riverbank better.)
Jusqu'au banc où je t'attendais
To the bench where I wait, (or is that "I'm waiting?")
Et j'ai vu refleurir
watching it bloom,
… or is it better said, "Where I have seen it flowering…"
….or "Watched it do its thing" … Yes, I like this modern twist best.
L'éclat de ton sourire
The brightness of your smile,
Aujourd'hui plus beau que jamais
More beautiful today than ever.
Le temps du muguet ne dure jamais
The Lily of the Valley never last long,
Plus longtemps que le mois de mai
Longer than the month of May,
Quand tous ses bouquets déjà se sont fanés
When the bouquets have faded,
Pour nous deux rien n'aura changé
For the two of us, nothing will have changed,
Aussi belle qu'avant
Also beautiful than before,
Notre chanson d'amour
Our song of love,
Chantera comme au premier jour
Singing like the first day,
Il s'en est allé le temps du muguet
And this one I cannot figure out, and if you are still reading I am impressed!
Comme un vieil ami fatigué
Like an old tired friend (it really does say that and that is what I feel like when I translate),
Pour toute une année pour se faire oublier
An entire year to make us forget,
En partant il nous a laissé
When it has ended, It leaves us, (have you even noticed that when people translate they seem to cut to the chase and leave most of what is said behind?)
Un peu de son printemps
A little Springtime,
Un peu de ses vingt ans
A little of her twenty years (translation should not be word for word, because it rarely makes sense.)
Pour s'aimer pour s'aimer longtemps.
To love, to love forever.
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This is why I do not translate, I am terrible at it…
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