La marée [English translation]

Being a stranger to what I see sends me back into my entrenchments.

I no longer have any clue, despite all my degrees.

Though I'm a cartesianist, I stand leaning over the void.

The Optimist1 might vanish in the Bermuda triangle.

Arms outstretched, a ball chained to my ankle, I topple over because of ballast2

Standing alone and confused3, lulled by a chanson de geste.

First at the bow, riddled by doubts, I remove the cape of good hope4.

Might my clandestine dreams in the hold be leaving France5?

My books are blank but their pages are dog-eared6

I no longer can tell North from South.

My books are blank but their pages are dog-eared

The abscissa are disordered7

Presently the sea is calm, but who knows how long that will last?

Fear crushes us since they fight like clans8

On a night blue wave, the Optimist capsizes.

The abscissa are disoronate, or maybe that's the other way around.

In my head it's a jungle, my neurons tangled like vines in branches.

The fake flowers of the magicians are withering, they are out of doves under their sleeves9

While we dream of reigning10 and weaving our webs,

at night, I hoist the sail to christen the stars anew.

The weights on my shoulders will not bend me.

On the treasure map there are precious few clues.

They can build hell, I won't fall into their abyss.

They'll have to throw me into it... With my voice in chains11

I will sing so that the ropes get tight,

on the top of my voice so that Orpheus hear me better than Eurydice12

My books are blank and their pages are dog-eared

The abscissa are disordered

Presently the sea is calm, but who knows how long that will last?

Fear crushes us since they fight like clans

On a blood red wave, the Optimists are many.

The abscissa are disoronate, the given order topples over13.

Presently the sea is calm, but who knows how long that will last?

Fear crushes us since they fight like clans.

1. that's the name of a popular small sailboat too2. that sounds heavy in French and I don't really get the idea, except she feels overburdened3. the verb means "having lost one's compass"4. the pun also works in English5. a rather convoluted and politically correct allusion to clandestine immigrants. Something like "racism makes me want to leave France"6. I don't get the idea. "vierge" can mean "virgin" and "corné" can mean "horned". Maybe some allusion to purity vs demons or something?7. that can be read as "abscissas are ordinates"8. terrible pun on the Bataclan. Do I need to elaborate?9. another possible pun on "la Manche" (the English Channel), alluding to debatable immigration politics in France, with the suppression of the Sangatte transit camp10. another pun on "araignée" (spider)11. another tiresome hijacking of "pieds et poings liés" (feet and fists chained), a common expression for "having no choice whatsoever"12. ??? I fail to get the reference there13. ???

• Artist:L.E.J
• Album:Poupées russes