Thanks afrenchie :)

Forgot one vid in my last post. Here it is:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LXC6C5AW

Here's a quick translation for "Papillon de Nuit," for anybody interested. Might be a couple corrections that need to be made, but I think I've got most of it. These lyrics weren't nearly so tough as most of Alizée's songs.

(She only sings the first three verses in this performance).

Like an everlasting star, (1)
Like a moth of the night, (2)
It's the light that draws me,
The Flame that dazzles me.
I feel that my body is overwhelmed,
The heat that overcomes me,
And my desire that burns me,
Is what consumes my life.
Like a moth of...
Like a moth of...
Like a moth of the night.

Like an everlasting star,
Like a moth of the night,
I forget the time that I have left,
Drawn in by the inifinite.
I feel that my body drifts,
My reason is numbed,
And that light that burns me,
It's that which I desire.
Like a moth of...
Like a moth of...
Like a moth of the night.

Where does it start?
Where does it end?
Where is life taking me?
What does it matter?
I have a huge heart,
And the world is small,
What counts is having desire.

Like an everlasting star,
Like a moth of the night,
I fly beneath the shadows,
Of those sad, grey ghosts.
If I have to drown myself, melt myself,
In the silence and the oblivion,
For the happiness of a single second
I would rather pay that price.
Like a moth of...
Like a moth of...
Like a moth of the night.

Where does it start?
Where does it end?
Where is life taking me?
Whether you love me,
Or you forget me,
Or if you follow me,
What counts is having desire.



1) "Amarante" translates to "Amaranthine," which generally means a flower of the Amaranth family, but also means "everlasting"
2) Papillon is usually butterfly, but also can be moth. I went with moth, due to the American expression of "like moths to a flame."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cooney "like moths to a flame"

might I ask what does that mean

It's an english expression that refers to how moths (like many nocternal insects) are drawn to sources of light by intinct, even an open flame which will kill then when they fly into it. The expression means to be drawn compulsively towards something even if it may lead to one's own destruction. However, the expression isn't always used in it's most grave connotation. More casually, it can just mean to be drawn toward something as if (or actually) by some strong internal force, instinct, or passion.

Certainly.

Moths are known to be attracted to lit candles (and other flickering lights) at night. They will flutter ceaselessly around a candle or fire, to the point that they will sometimes fly straight in to the flames and destroy themselves. To say somebody is attracted like a moth to a flame is to say they are irresistably drawn to something, even to their own detriment.

For example, one could say children are drawn to a candy store like moths to a flame, or that Alizée walking down the street would draw a fan like a moth to a flame :-)

The fact that papillon means both Butterfly and Moth means the translation loses some of the imagery (I think, and the video bears this out, she was thinking more along the lines of "butterfly" for herself), but butterflies don't demonstrate this self-destructive behavior, so I had to use Moth for it to retain the analogy.

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edit
D'oh! Hollister beat me to it :-P

I'm not sure about these two lines:
- "I forget the times when I remained,". For me in the original French, she means "I forget the time I have left"
- "What that adds up to,". "Ce qui compte" means "what has an importance", maybe also "what counts", word for word?
But maybe you just used English expressions that I don't know and that are a correct translation...

You got this one wrong though:
"They have to drown themselves, melt themselves,"
"S'il faut se noyer, se fondre"
I know the verb "falloir" must be a pain for foreigners since you have no equivalent, and it conjugates only with "il" ("it"). You can say "il faut que", never "je faux que", or "tu faux que", etc... It means that the subject following "que" must/has to/would rather do what follows.
"Il faut que je parte travailler" : "I have to go to work"
It's more general and contextual when it's followed by an infinitive verb, like in this song. But you still can vary like you want in English. Here, you could translate:
"If you(or I) have to drown your(my)self, melt your(my)self,
.......
I would rather pay the price"

Hint, I think that you can often understand "il faut que" like "it's needed that" or "it's required that"


EDIT: "falloir" at Wiktionnaire:
http://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/falloir

Cooney, you probably missed my reply above. I'm sure you should have some words to debate about it :)

D'oh! I had missed the reply!

The translation was a very quick one that I did before leaving for work, and I'll readily admit parts weren't right :-) I don't have any debate for those corrections either, merely my thanks for pointing them out! I'll get them inserted in the original.

That works much better. I applied the verb "rester" to "je" rather than to "les temps," and couldn't quite figure out why it sounded so wierd. That explains it much better (I hadn't heard "me reste" as "remaining to me" (that I have left) before).

What I said had different meaning, and yours is certainly better. "Compte" being a mathematical term, I tried to go that way, but I used the wrong American phrase. Would the literal translation of "Ce qui compte" be "That which adds together?" I've tried translating "compte" before, and have never been able to satisfactorily do so (clearly, I still need work! :-P). It seems like maybe an idiomatic expression? The new meaning you provide can be expressed in English as "What counts is having desire" or as "What matters is to have desire." The second is more standard, but the first will retain the literal meaning more closely.


Ahh, "il faut," yes, I should have known this one and didn't. I saw the "se" reflexive and immediately thought it was third person, forgetting that with "il faut," one can use "se" and still be in the first person.

Thanks for the help!

Have these, but thanks for the new copies. I'm always hoping they are better than the ones I have.