Mon Maquis- Interperation

[riva2model64]

Bird and I were in the chatroom the other day and were perplexed as to understanding the literal meaning of Mon Maquis.

In particular, what is this "maquis" she keeps referring too. According to dictionary.com, maquis translated from french to english is "maquis" and means: "a guerrilla fighter in the French underground in World War II" and also means: "the French underground that fought against the German occupation in World War II"

she must refer to maquis as some sort of guardian, perhaps a place of refuge; "also impenetrable" and "it's my maq. . my bed"

this maquis apparently is also "It's an inextricable labyrinth
Of laughs, also of shouts" and it's a glass footpath as well

C'est un dédale inextricable,
Impénétrable aussi
C'est mon Maq... mon lit :
C'est mon maquis

C'est un refuge, chambre sans vue
Où l'air est pur, si pur
Est mon Maq... mon lit :
C'est mon maquis

C'est un dédale inextricable
De rires, d'éclats aussi
C'est mon Maq... ici :
C'est mon maquis

C'est un repaire, sûr comme un père
Sentiers secrets, sentiers de verre,
Petit frère... c'est... aussi
Ta chambre et ton maquis


C'est un dédale inextricable
Impénétrable aussi
C'est mon Maq... mon lit :
C'est mon maquis

C'est un jardin, dont le chemin
Est bien le sien aussi
C'est mon Maq... ici
C'est son maquis

Partager tout, parler de tout
Et protéger aussi
C'est mon Maq, ici
C'est son maquis

Chambre cachette, chambre avec couette
De pirouettes en marionnettes
Petit frère, toi ici
Moi, je suis ton amie.



It is an inextricable labyrinth
Also impenetrable
It's my Maq... my bed:
It's my maquis
It's a shelter, room without a view
Where the air is clean, so clean
It's my Maq... my bed:
It's my maquis

It's an inextricable labyrinth
Of laughs, also of shouts
It's my Maq... here
It's my maquis

It's a lair, sure as a father
Secret footpath, glass footpath
Little brother... it's... also
Your room and your maquis

It's an inextricable labyrinth
Also impenetrable
It's my Maq... my bed:
It's my maquis

It's a garden, which's path
Is as well his
It's my Maq... here
It's my maquis

Share everything, talk about everything
Also to protect
It's my Maq... here
It's his maquis

Hidden room, with feather bed
Pirouettes by marionettes
Little brother, you here
Me, I'm your friend

(lyrics/translation from www.alizee-fanpage.com)

[brad]

in this song, I always thought maquis = home

i have no idea why I think that, I am pretty sure it is wrong. maybe aFrenchie will help us

[Cooney]

The geurrilla fighters known as "The Maquis" were so called because "The Maquis" is the area of generally impenetrable scrub brush and badland that they hid out in. Maquis has come, as a result, to refer to a place of refuge and protection.

The idea of "My Maquis" is essentially saying "My refuge" or "My hiding spot."

[aFrenchie]

Originally Posted by brad

maybe aFrenchie will help us

And Wikipedia will help me:
Vegetation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquis_shrubland
History:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquis_%28World_War_II%29

Also, not in English wiki, and more specifically about Corsica, the expression "prendre le maquis" ("join the maquis") is Corsican origine and means to take refuge in the forest to evade authorities or a vendetta.

[Ben]

While it can be a more general term for undergrowth, the term Maquis is especially used in Corsica to refer to the unique shrubs that grow there, giving virtually the entire island a particular scent (which Napoleon once commented he could use to recognize home with his eyes closed, and could smell from his nearby first exile on Elba), and are used as spice in much of the traditional cooking. There's also a tradition of bandits "taking to the Maquis" to escape justice, which combined with Corsica being the first part of France to be liberated during the second world war inspired the name for the French resistance.

The whole song is, in a sense, an ode to Corsica. The lament played at the beginning is a traditional Corsu language chant. That's why I used this song in my video about my trip to the island:

http://rapidshare.de/files/32730929/...rsica.mpg.html

[aFrenchie]

Yes, "prendre le maquis" literally means "taking to the maquis" but I thought that "join" would be better in English .

P.S. downloading your video . You're still in France? How are you doing here?

[Ben]

I think "take to the Maquis" actually works very well in English because we have expressions like "take to the hills" that mean roughly the same thing. They're often used in old Western movies, which actually have a lot in common with the days of Corsican outlaws and blood feuds. Man, I love la Corse - it's such a mythic place!

And yeah, I'm in Paris until mid-December. Et ca va bien, merci!

[aFrenchie]

Lively video Snatcher, I felt like I was arriving there with you
Btw, you surely have heard Corsica's "nickname" in France already? (= "l'île de beauté")

[Cooney]

Originally Posted by aFrenchie

Lively video Snatcher, I felt like I was arriving there with you
Btw, you surely have heard Corsica's "nickname" in France already? (= "l'île de beauté")

I like that nickname :-) I recall that in one of the videos here (Alizée performing for New Year's in front of Eiffel Tower), the host of the show cited Laetitia Casta and Alizée as proof the name fit :-)

[aFrenchie]

Originally Posted by Cooney

I like that nickname :-) I recall that in one of the videos here (Alizée performing for New Year's in front of Eiffel Tower), the host of the show cited Laetitia Casta and Alizée as proof the name fit :-)

Her father is Corsican but Laetitia is born in Normandy, spent her childhood there and has strong attachments with this region. But she still incarnates Corsica as well as Alizée indeed.