Refraction

Several notes from the concert last night:

• I can see why the act at 7 has won Félix awards. He’s got a very rich voice; unfortunately, I wasn’t as able to appreciate him as fully since I was really waiting for those who’d be taking the stage at 9.
• I think it’s also kind of amazing how any Francophone accent he has completely disappears when he’s singing in English.
• Fifteen minutes of speeches before the main attraction is not a good idea. Especially when your first two speakers don’t speak French all that well. (The Francophones behind me were snickering–as was I, admittedly, having been caught at this very error once–at the pronunication of “qualité.” En français, on dit “ka”, pas “kwa”.) There was also his infamous “Dansons! Chassons! Mangeons!” (“Let’s drink! Hunt! Eat!”)
• That being said, the third speaker was able to read the growing impatience, and said: “J’ai préparé un long discours, mais devant cette foule, je n’ai plus de discours.” (Cue cheer from the crowd.)
• Concerts are bad for me, as I tend to spend way too much money at them. Still, the tickets were cheap–$25–and I only picked up two CD’s and a shoulder bag (and a couple pins….) I suppose this does mean I don’t need to buy a bag anymore!
• I admire the trust of the lead singer, who stage-dove and crowd-surfed in the middle of the set. This is a big man, too!
• The bassist had good taste in shirts. It’s a takeoff of the old stick-in-rink Canucks logo, but with a guitar instead of a hockey stick. I can only assume he’s aware of the reference.
• The kids to my left (and yeah, they were kids, no more than 13 or 14, if that) were a bit annoying. At one point a beach ball was being passed around, and they wanted to over to the side, where they were–so I kept hearing cries of “ici!” and “hé, le ballon!” as well as near-misses as they tried for the ball which remained desperately out of reach.
• Security was quick! Towards the end of the night, a guy jumped onto the stage and was immediately whisked away by two guards. I didn’t even see where they came from.
• There was a bizarre call-and-response sequence which I think ended with us chanting “Roberto Luongo”.
• This was an outdoor concert. I kind of wonder where the residents of the nearby retirement community were yesterday evening.

… if the people you are now working/study with are of a totally different demographic than you.

During icebreaker (brise-glace) games, you are asked:

1. Etes-vous mariée?
2. Vous avez des enfants?
3. Où travaillez-vous?

During a game of “Who am I?” (“Qui suis-je?”), celebrities chosen include:

1. Gordon Campbell
2. Luciano Pavarotti

During said game, no knows any “jeunes chanteuses américaines (populaires!)” except for Jennifer Lopez.

The instructor is asked his opinion on the current state of politics in France.
(Which, by the way, has pretty much completely dashed my hopes of living in France. Ever. Unless I get married there. To a nice French boy.)

*bemoans the fact that she is sick on her birthday*

On the other hand, I do get to eat green tea ice cream cake.

I was sorting through papers in my room when I stumbled across this poem we looked at briefly in my intro to French lit class, and it seems oddly appropriate for my mood today:

Ce mois de mai tout se resjoie,
Ce me semble, fors moi, lassette!
All things rejoice this month of May
Except, alas, it seems, for me!
(Trans. A. S. Kline)

Here’s a song from KYO, a French group whose CD I finally found in Québec City. I had that CD on repeat for the rest of my time there. I’m not kidding. It’s boyband-type music, good for listening to when you’re feeling a little angsty and teenage again.

I feel guilty for listening to Maroon 5’s Songs About Jane.

Faites-moi de la place
Juste un peu de place
Pour ne pas qu’on m’efface
J’n’ai pas trop d’amis
Regardez en classe
C’est pas l’extase
J’ai beaucoup d’espace
Je suis seul
Et personne à qui le dire
C’est pas l’pire
Quand la pause arrive
Je ne suis pas tranquille
Il faut que je m’éclipse
Ou alors, accuser les coups,
Ou dehors

Give me some space
Just a bit of space
So that I’m not erased
I don’t have a lot of friends
Look, in class
It’s not that great
I’ve got a lot of space
Alone
And no one to talk to about it
That’s not the worst of it
When it’s time for break
I’m not still
I’ve got to slip away
Or else suffer blows
outside

Faudra que je coure
Tous les jours
Faudra-t-il que je coure
Jusqu’au bout

Do I need to run
Every day?
Must I run
Right to the end?

Je n’ai plus de souffle
Je veux que l’on m’écoute
Plus de doutes
Pour m’en sortir
Je dois tenir
Et construire mon futur
Partir à la conquête
D’une vie moins dure
Sûr que c’est pas gagné
Mais j’assure mes arrières
Pour connaître l’amour et le monde

I’ve no more breath
I want someone to listen
Don’t want no more doubts
To get myself out of this
I have to hold on
And build my future
Leave for the conquest
Of a less difficult life
Of course, it’s not over yet
But I’ve got my back
To know love, and the world

Faudra que je coure
Tous les jours
Faudra-t-il que je coure
Jusqu’au bout
Pour connaître le monde
Et l’amour
Il faudra que je coure
Tous les jours

Do I need to run
Everyday?
Must I run
To the end?
To know the world
And love
I need to run
All the time

J’voudrais m’arrêter
J’peux plus respirer
Dans ce monde parmi vous

I want to stop
I can’t breathe anymore
In this world with you

I seem to be taking breaks from studying by translating French things.

Anyway, this is a lovely song which I heard on the radio in Québec; I’ve since bought the CD (it was on sale at Future Shop. Yes, they have Future Shop in Québec.)

Je grille une cigarette
Je suis du bois d’allumette
Qui se consume et je présume
Que tout chemin se termine
Autant pour prince que pour vermine
La vie est ainsi faite

I smoke a cigarette
I’m a matchstick
that burns up, and I’d guess
that every road ends
for the prince as it does for the bums
Such is life

Or que tout est bête
Tout est vain et inutile
Lorsqu’épuisé, fatigué
Le corps n’est plus qu’un autre projectile
Propulsé depuis matin
Jusqu’au soir en bus, en train
Je sais qu’un coeur peut s’arrêter pour moins

But, everything’s so stupid
Everything’s done in vain, useless
When you’re exhausted, tired
Your body’s just another projectile
That’s been going since morning
Until night on the bus, on the train
I know that hearts have stopped for less

Imparfait
Le monde est imparfait
Imparfait

Imperfect
The world’s imperfect
Imperfect

Le vent est si tendre sur midi
Tu es septembre sur Paris
Je pense à toi, ça fait du bien
Toi dans ta ville et moi transsibérien
Qui t’aime et qui t’adore
Puis qui se hait d’aimer si fort
L’amour est comme je le redoutais

The wind’s so gentle at noon
You’re September in Paris
I think of you, it does me good
You in your city, and me, trans-siberian (???)
Who loves you, who adores you
Then hates herself for loving you so much
Love is what I feared it would be

Imparfait
L’amour est imparfait
Imparfait

Imperfect
Love is imperfect
Imperfect

Imparfait
Le monde est imparfait
Imparfait
L’amour est imparfait
Imparfait
Le monde est imparfait
Imparfait

Imperfect
The world’s imperfect
Imperfect
Love is imperfect
Imperfect
The world’s imperfect
Imperfect

Meh, so now you see what I do when I come from from work. YTV has recently started airing Bleach after Fullmetal Alchemist. I don’t like it nearly as much, but when I found out that one of the character’s theme song is in French… well. I actually am not too fond of the song itself–it’s kind of boring, but translations are fun!

“T’en va pas” – Orihime Inoue’s image song

T’en va pas
si tu m’aimes t’en va pas
papa si tu l’aimes dis lui
qu’elle est la femme de ta vie vie vie
papa ne t’en va pas
on veut pas vivre sans toi
t’en va pas au bout de la nuit

Don’t leave me
If you love me, don’t go
Papa, if you love her, tell her
that she is the love of your life life life [1]
Papa, don’t leave
We don’t want to live without you
Don’t go at the end of the night

{Refrain:}
Nuit tu me fais peur
nuit tu n’en finis pas
comme un voleur
il est parti sans moi
on ira plus au ciné tous les trois

{Chorus:}
Night, you frighten me
Night, you’ll never stop doing that
Like a thief
He left without me
Us three won’t go to the movies anymore

Nuit tu me fais peur
nuit tu n’en finis pas
comme un voleur
il est parti sans moi
papa si tu pensais un peu à moi

Night, you frighten me
Night, you’ll never stop doing that
Like a thief
He stole away without me
Papa, if you thought of me for a moment…

Où tu vas quand tu t’en va d’ici
j’arrive pas à vivre sans toi
avec la femme de ta vie vie vie
papa fais pas d’connerie
quand on s’aime on s’en va pas
on ne part pas en pleine nuit

Where will you go when you leave this place? [2]
I can’t live without you
with the love of your life life life
Papa, don’t screw up
When people love each other, they don’t leave
They don’t leave in the dead of the night

Nuit tu me fais peur
nuit tu n’en finis pas
comme un voleur
il est parti sans moi
tu m’emmènera jamais aux USA

Night, you frighten me
Night, you’ll never stop doing that
Like a thief
He stole away without me
You’ll never take me to the States

Nuit tu me fais peur
nuit tu n’en finis pas
comme un voleur
il est parti sans moi
papa j’tassure arrête ton cinéma

Night, you frighten me
Night, you’ll never stop doing that
Like a thief
He left without me
Papa, I assure you–stop being dramatic [3]

Nuit …. sans moi
papa j’tassure qu’un jour tu reviendras

Night … without me
Papa, I assure you, you’ll come back one day

Nuit … sans moi
papa j’tassure arrête ton cinéma

Night … without me
Papa, I assure you, stop being dramatic

Nuit … sans moi
papa j’suis sure qu’un jour tu reviendras (2x)

Night … without me
Papa, I’m sure you’ll come back one day

Nuit … sans moi
papa si tu pensais un peu
si tu pensais un peu à moi

Night … without me
Papa, if you thought a bit
If you thought a bit about me

Nuit … sans moi
tu m’emmeneras jamais aux USA

Night … without me
You’ll never take me to the States

Nuit … sans moi
papa j’suis sur qu’un jour tu reviendras

Night … without me
Papa, I’m sure you’ll come back one day

[1]: Of course, “love of your life” doesn’t show up. I’m using translator’s license here. A more literal one would be “woman of your life,” but that just sounds weird.

[2]: This sentence is not explicitly in future tense, but …

[3]: This sentence just makes no sense. Maybe if I knew more about the character I’d be able to translate this thing …

Actually, in conclusion, I really don’t like this song. My translation makes no sense because the orginal’s a bit weird. And reading her character history on Wikipedia doesn’t help.

Update: Apparently the character songs in Bleach aren’t written specifically for the characters. That might explain something.

On nous a enfin permis de parler anglais!

Malheureusement que ça veut aussi dire que c’est la fin du programme. 🙁 Je voudrais rester–je me sens enfin à l’aise ici, mais non–c’est comme ça depuis toujours: lorsque je me sens à l’aise, c’est la fin. Blah.

Ben mes amis, je vais vous voir dans quelques jours! Karaoké!! J’ai hâte de chanter karaoké!