Songs of the Voyageurs - Lyrics
French Lyrics with English Translations
English Translation:
I was walking by a clear fountain
And the water was so inviting that I took a swim.
I dried myself under an oak tree and heard a nightingale singing on the top
branch. "Sing, nightingale, you have a happy heart. Your heart is laughing
and mine is crying. I lost my love, without deserving to, because I refused
her a bouquet of roses. I wish the rose was still on the bush and that she
and I still had the same affections. "
Chorus:
For a long time I have loved you,
Never will I forget you.
Alternate
version last line tranlation:
And the
same rose bush, thrown into the sea.
A La Claire
Fontaine
A la claire fontaine, m'en allant
promener,
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle que je m'y suis baigné.
CHORUS
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime,
Jamais je ne t'oublirai,
Sous les feuilles d'un chêne, je me suis fait sécher.
Sur la plus haute branche, un rossignol chantait.
CHORUS
Chante, rossignol, chante, toi
qui as le coeur gai.
Tu as le coeur à rire, moi je l'ai-t-à pleurer.
CHORUS
J'ai perdu ma maitresse sans
l'avoir mérité.
Pour un bouquet de roses que je lui refusai.
CHORUS
Je voudrais que la rose fût
encore au rosier.
Et moi et ma maîtresse dans les mêm's amitiés.