Il te suffisait que je t'aime [English translation]

You and me we were twenty

as we struggled against misery

under the same roof.

We were hardly more than children,

and as people saw us they said

that we looked so much alike.

Hand in hand, we have

overcome the twists of fate

and solved many problems.

Among hardships, you filled

your empty stomach with illusions.

My love was enough then.

After so many years in the strife,

good fortune finally came to us.

But the years took your insouciance away.

You drag yourself like a dead weight,

you don't laugh like you used to,

you mourn your teenage years.

And you spend days on end

in front of your mirror,

trying on make-up and creams.

As for me, I sometimes regret

the time when to build your joys1

my love was enough.

If I could, my love,

I would stop the flow

of these hours that go and die out.

But there's nothing I can do,

since you know I have to

endure the same fate.

Don't linger on your regrets,

since the feelings that we reap

are the ones that we sow.

Do as you used to in the golden years

and remember that only yesterday

my love was enough.

For me nothing has really changed,

I've been loving you ever since,

for you have kept the same charm

as in this blessed day when

in front of God you said yes,

your eyes drenched in tears.

Spring comes and goes, then so does summer,

but fall has its hidden joys

that you must discover by yourself.

Forget the cruelty of time

and remember than when you were twenty

my love was enough.

1. the French is a bit unusual too, like "to forge your joys"

• Artist:Charles Aznavour
• Album:Hier encore 1965