La Vie En Rose (Edith Piaf)
A brief note on the translation you are about to read: you will notice that the titular phrase — which is repeated once every chorus and is generally of singular importance — has not been given a translation. This is not an oversight. “La vie” translates to “life” and “en rose” is literally “in pink.” A French expression that has a close English counterpart in the idiom of “rose-tinted glasses.” While either the more digestible “rose-tinted glasses” or the more literal “life in pink” could have sufficed to replace our title, neither would have been nearly as compelling, charming, or vivid as “la vie en rose.”
Therein lies the challenge that Benjamin Jowett famously lamented when he said “All translation is a compromise — the effort to be literal and the effort to be idiomatic.” Which is the better translation, the idiomatic or the literal? In this case, the simplest answer is neither.
A final disclaimer: There is no such thing as an accurate translation. Even a single word cannot be rendered entirely accurate in another language. Attempting to translate poetry is the impossible endeavour of a fool.
Shall we get into it?
Des yeux qui font baisser les miens,
Eyes which make me lower my own gaze,
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche;
A laugh that loses itself on his lips;
Voila le portrait sans retouches,
Voila — the untouched portrait,
De l’homme auquel j’appartiens!
Of the man to whom I belong!
Quand il me prend dans ses bras,
When he takes me in his arms,
Il me parle l’a tout bas,
He speaks to me softly,
Je vois la vie en rose…
I see la vie en rose…
Il me dit des mots d’amour,
He speaks words of love to me,
Des mots de tous les jours —
Words of all the days (everyday words) —
Et ça m’ fait quelque chose!
And it does something to me!
Il est entré dans mon coeur,
He entered into my heart,
Une part de bonheur,
A piece of happiness,
Dont je connais la cause!
Of which I know the cause!
C’est lui pour moi,
It’s him for me,
Moi pour lui dans la vie;
Me for him in this life;
Il me l’a dit, l’a jure pour la vie!
This he told me, this he swore, for life!
Et, dès que je l’aperçois,
And as soon as I see him,
Alors je sens en moi
I feel inside of me
Mon coeur qui bat!
My heart which beats!
Des nuits d’amour à plus en finir,
Nights of love with no end,
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place,
A great happiness that takes its place,
Les ennuis, les chagrins, s’effacent,
The worries, the sorrows, all fade away,
Heureux, heureux à mourir!
Happy, happy enough to die!
