Original lyrics
French
Translation
English
Le chêne
The oak tree
I was sown by order of Colbert1
in a forest of Western France.
My high branches have a view to the sea,
but it's the earth that haunts me.
Those who came yesterday
were suspicious-looking people.
Uncanny surveyors indeed.
Now I'm a very frightened oak.
Please let me live a bit longer
Let me live a century or two
Surely your precious road
can wind around my wood?
I still have much shade to dispense
to the Sunday lovers, so that
the moss would be soft to them
as they hug each other's hips.
Now does he even hear my voice,
this little pedantic engineer
who spells my death with a cross
for some straightening matter?
Please let me live a bit longer
Let me live a century or two.
Surely your precious road
can wind around my wood?
Me, who stands like a green king
ruling over the generous shade,
I'm about to topple in the dust,
vanquished by a chainsaw.
Please let me live a bit longer
Let me live a century or two
Surely the road can wind around?
Please let me live a bit longer
Let me live a century or two
Surely your precious road
can wind around my wood?
- 1. Minister of Louis XIV. He had huge oak forests planted all over France, to produce wood for warships. Then there was a revolution and nobody cared to build these ships anymore. A few of these forests still exist today, with magnificent two century old oaks
Song details
Translation details
Guest
submitted on 6 Nov 2016 - 23:30
7
Added in reply to request by 
Valeriu Raut
Valeriu Raut 
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Author's comments:
That's a really good song. The kind that might be read in a couple of centuries to remember how foolish we were.
Comments 1
Tu apprécies les choses de valeur. Merci.
to the (sunday) Sunday lovers, so that
the moss (be) is soft to them
(vainquished) vanquished by a chainsaw
Cordialement