mardi 21 septembre 2010

And who by fire...? ..and Oh so Bright?...

Leonard Cohen - Who by fire (Live in London)

And who by fire, who by water,
who in the sunshine, who in the night time,
who by high ordeal, who by common trial,
who in your merry merry month of may,
who by very slow decay,
and who shall I say is calling?

And who in her lonely slip, who by barbiturate,
who in these realms of love, who by something blunt,
and who by avalanche, who by powder,
who for his greed, who for his hunger,
and who shall I say is calling?

And who by brave assent, who by accident,
who in solitude, who in this mirror,
who by his lady's command, who by his own hand,
who in mortal chains, who in power,
and who shall I say is calling?

Qui par le feu ? Qui par l'eau ? Qui au grand soleil ? Qui dans la nuit ?
Qui par grand épreuve ? Qui par jugement ? Qui en ton joli, joli mois
de mai ? Qui par lente déchéance ? Et qui appelle, le dirais-je ?

Qui dans sa fuite solitaire ? Qui par les barbituriques ?
Qui dans ces royaumes de l'amour ? Qui par quelque chose d'émoussé ?
Qui par l'avalanche ? Qui par la poudre ? Qui pour son appétit ?
Qui pour sa faim ? Et qui appelle, le dirais-je ?

Qui par courageuse montée ? Qui par accident ? Qui en solitude ?
Qui en ce miroir ? Qui sur l'ordre de son amie ? Qui de sa propre main ?
Qui en des chaînes mortelles ? Qui au pouvoir ? Et qui appelle,
le dirais-je ?

Songwriters: Cohen, Leonard

Now the flames they followed Joan of Arc
as she came riding through the dark;
no moon to keep her armour bright,
no man to get her through this very smoky night.
She said, "I'm tired of the war,
I want the kind of work I had before,
a wedding dress or something white
to wear upon my swollen appetite."

Well, I'm glad to hear you talk this way,
you know I've watched you riding every day
and something in me yearns to win
such a cold and lonesome heroine.
"And who are you?" she sternly spoke
to the one beneath the smoke.
"Why, I'm fire," he replied,
"And I love your solitude, I love your pride."

"Then fire, make your body cold,
I'm going to give you mine to hold,"
saying this she climbed inside
to be his one, to be his only bride.
And deep into his fiery heart
he took the dust of Joan of Arc,
and high above the wedding guests
he hung the ashes of her wedding dress.

It was deep into his fiery heart
he took the dust of Joan of Arc,
and then she clearly understood
if he was fire, oh then she must be wood.
I saw her wince, I saw her cry,
I saw the glory in her eye.
Myself I long for love and light,
but must it come so cruel, and oh so bright?