Marieke by Jacques Brel

@cortom : I've always wanted to know if the dutch and french lyrics in this marvelous love song meant the same thing. If not, could you translate the duth lyrics in english or french, please.
Thanks in advance.

(all the dutch words sounded so great with the Brel's voice. He always sang this song with passion).

_________
Marieke

by Jacques Brel
_________

Ay Marieke Marieke
je t'aimais tant
Entre les tours
de Bruges et Gand
Ay Marieke Marieke
il y a longtemps
Entre les tours
de Bruges et Gand



Zonder liefde warme liefde
Waait de wind de stomme wind
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Weent de zee de grijze zee
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Lijdt het licht het donk're licht
En schuurt het zand over mijn land
Mijn platte land mijn Vlaanderland



Ay Marieke Marieke
le ciel flamand
Couleur des tours
de Bruges et Gand
Ay Marieke Marieke
le ciel flamand
Pleure avec moi
de Bruges à Gand



Zonder liefde warme liefde
Waait de wind c'est fini
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Weent de zee déjà fini
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Lijdt het licht tout est fini
En schuurt het zand over mijn land
Mijn platte land mijn Vlaanderland




Ay Marieke Marieke
le ciel flamand
Pesait-il trop
de Bruges à Gand
Ay Marieke Marieke
sur tes vingt ans
Que j'aimais tant
de Bruges à Gand


Zonder liefde warme liefde
Lacht de duivel de zwarte duivel
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Brandt mijn hart mijn oude hart
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Sterft de zomer de droeve zomer
En schuurt het zand over mijn land
Mijn platte land mijn Vlaanderland


Ay Marieke Marieke
revienne le temps
Revienne le temps
de Bruges et Gand
Ay Marieke Marieke
revienne le temps
Où tu m'aimais
de Bruges à Gand

Ay Marieke Marieke
le soir souvent
Entre les tours
de Bruges et Gand
Ay Marieke Marieke
tous les étangs
M'ouvrent leurs bras
de Bruges à Gand

De Bruges à Gand
de Bruges à Gand

Hi Cristof! If you like Brel's Dutch you might want to check out his all-Dutch version of this song (Lyrics below). He also sang a v.good version of le plat pays (Mijn vlakke land).

Ay Marieke, Marieke
ik hield van jou
I loved you
tussen de torens
Between the towers
van Brugge en Gent
Of Bruges and Ghent

Ai Marike, marieke
De tijd gaat gauw
Time passes quickly
Tussen de torens
Between the towers
Van Brugge en Gent
Of Bruges and Ghent

Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Waait de wind de stomme wind
the wind blows, the stupid wind
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Weent de zee de grijze zee
The sea weeps, the grey sea
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Lijdt het licht het donkere licht
The light suffers, the dark light
En schuurt het zand over mijn land
And the sand scours (over) my land
Mijn platte land mijn Vlaanderland
My flat land, my Flanders land

Ay marieke, marieke
de vlaamse lucht
The flemish sky
Grijs als de torens van Brugge en Gent
Grey as the towers of Bruges and Ghent
ai mariek,marieke
de vlaamse lucht
The Flemish sky
zij weent met mij van Brugge tot Gent
weeps with me from Bruges to Ghent

Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Waait de wind de stomme wind
the wind blows, the stupid wind
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Weent de zee de grijze zee
The sea weeps, the grey sea
Lijdt het licht het donkere licht
The light suffers, the dark light
En schuurt het zand over mijn land
And the sand scours (over) my land
Mijn platte land mijn Vlaanderland
My flat land, my Flanders land




ai marieke, marieke
de vlaamse lucht
The Flemish sky
Woog zij te zwaar
Did it weigh it too heavily
van Brugge tot Gent
ai Marieke, Marieke
op onze jeugd
On our youth
waar ik zo van hield
Which I so loved
van Brugge tot Gent
From Bruges to Ghent

Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Lacht de duivel de zwarte duivel
The devil laughs, the black devil
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Brandt mijn hart mijn oude hart
My heart burns, my old heart
Zonder liefde warme liefde
Without love, warm love
Sterft de zomer de droeve zomer
The Summer dies, the sorrowful summer
En schuurt het zand over mijn land
And the sand scours (over) my land
Mijn platte land mijn Vlaanderland
My flat land my Flanders land


ai marieke, marieke
breng terug die tijd
Give me back that time
die mooie tijd
That wonderful time
van Brugge en Gent
Of Bruges and Ghent
ai marieke, marike
breng terug die tijd
Give me back that time
van onze liefde
Of our love
in Brugge en Gent
In Bruges and Ghent

ai marieke, marieke
als de avond spreidt
When the evening darkness spreads
dan lokken mij
Then [they] entice me towards them
van brugge tot gent
From Bruges to Ghent
ai marieke, marieke
met armen wijd
With open arms
de diepe vijvers
The deep ponds
van brugge en gent

Hope you don't mind me having a go at the translationn Cortom - I'm a big Brel fan and couldn't resist it. Please feel free to make any improvements.

Also for anyone who's interested you can watch Brel's concert in Bergen on this Dutch -tv website:

http://www.vpro.nl/programma/vrijege...ngen/14525208/

@Birdman: I can only say amen to that. Good translation. Nothing to add except that I might note that 'stom' in Dutch has both the meaning of 'stupid' and 'mute' (not saying anything). It's not that the word 'stom' in the song has one or the other meaning, it has both at the same time, and this adds to the poetry of the lyrics. (At least this is how I understand it).

@Crisotf: as you see, the french and the dutch verses don't say the same thing. They tell different parts of the same story. Strangely it is the first time ever that I note the allusion to suicide in the last verses. While I must have heard this song at least fifty times if not more.

While the all-Dutch version follows the French/Dutch one very closely there's one stance that I find much better in French:

Ay Marieke Marieke
le ciel flamand
Pesait-il trop
de Bruges à Gand
Ay Marieke Marieke
sur tes vingt ans
Que j'aimais tant
de Bruges à Gand

Hey thanks Birdman. Now I know what these dutch verses mean. Finally. As cortom noticed, these passages tell differents parts of the same story. But they provide also still much more "emotion" to this love song.

Negative point, if I may, the dutch version eludes the power of three verses, the ones beginning in dutch and finishing in french : "/ waait de wind... c'est fini / weent de zee.... déjà fini / Lijdt het licht...tout est fini /". These verses sound so great in the original version (the tone mixture of dutch and french words) and they express so much (in french).

As suggested by birdman, I've just found on youtube a full dutch version of "le plat plays"... sung by the master himself, Brel. Wow ! Wow! Wow!
For someone who knows the french lyrics of that song by heart as I do, it's fantastic to listen to Brel singing it in dutch. It gives the other "facette" of the bilingual "plat pays... qui était le sien". Thank v much for guiding me to this "trouvaille". (Does Brel speak dutch neatly, correctly ??)

@cortom: the last verses have always expressed for me, in a powerful manner, the "désespoir amoureux", a frequent thematic in Brel. I'm quite sure that all Brel's love songs are always desparate. But it's true that it may also be interpeted as a suicidal thought.

Originally Posted by cortom

@Birdman: I can only say amen to that. Good translation. Nothing to add except that I might note that 'stom' in Dutch has both the meaning of 'stupid' and 'mute' (not saying anything). It's not that the word 'stom' in the song has one or the other meaning, it has both at the same time, and this adds to the poetry of the lyrics. (At least this is how I understand it).

Of course you're right. It should be translated as : dumb. Then both meanings are preserved.

Here's my translation of mijn vlakke land whose lyrics vary slightly from the french version. I think this is the only one of Brel's Dutch songs that is as good as the French original. In fact, although as far as i know Brel wasn't a fluent Flemish speaker, it's probably my favourite song sung in Dutch.

Wanneer de Noordzee koppig breekt aan hoge duinen
When the North Sea stubbornly breaks against the high dunes
En witte vlokken schuim uiteenslaan op de kruinen
And white flecks of spray shatter on their tops
Wanneer de norse vloed beukt aan het zwart basalt
When the surly tide hammers against the black rock
En over dijk en duin de grijze nevel valt
And a grey mist falls over the dikes and dunes
Wanneer bij eb het strand woest is als een woestijn
When by low tide the beach is desolate as a desert
En natte westenwinden gieren van venijn
And the damp Westerly winds screech with venom
Dan vecht mijn land, mijn vlakke land
Then my land fights, my flat land

Wanneer de regen daalt op straten, pleinen, perken
When the rain falls on streets, squares and parks
Op dak en torenspits van hemelhoge kerken
On the roofs and spires of churches that reach to heaven
Die in dit vlakke land de enige bergen zijn
Which, in this flat land, are the only mountains
Wanneer onder de wolken mensen dwergen zijn
When under the clouds people are like dwarves
Wanneer de dagen gaan in domme regelmaat
When the days pass with numbing monotony
En bolle oostenwind het land nog vlakker slaat
And bulging Easterly winds blast the land still flatter
Dan wacht mijn land, mijn vlakke land
Then my land waits, my flat land

Wanneer de lage lucht vlak over 't water scheert
When the low sky skims right over the water
Wanneer de lage lucht ons nederigheid leert
When the low sky teaches us humility
Wanneer de lage lucht er grijs als leisteen is
When the low sky is as grey as slate
Wanneer de lage lucht er vaal als keileem is
When the low sky is as pale as stony clay
Wanneer de noordenwind de vlakte vierendeelt
When the North wind quarters the plain
Wanneer de noordenwind er onze adem steelt
When the North wind steals our breath
Dan kraakt mijn land, mijn vlakke land
Then my land creaks, my flat land

Wanneer de Schelde blinkt in zuidelijke zon
When the Scheldt shines in the Southern sun
En elke Vlaamse vrouw flaneert in zon-japon
And every Flemish woman saunters in a summer-dress
Wanneer de eerste spin zijn lentewebben weeft
When the first spider spins its webs in spring
Of dampende het veld in juli-zonlicht beeft
Or the hazy fields tremble in July sunshine
Wanneer de zuidenwind er schatert door het graan
When the Southern wind chortles through the grain
Wanneer de zuidenwind er jubelt langs de baan
When the Southern wind goes cheering along the roads
Dan juicht mijn land, mijn vlakke land
Then my land rejoices, my flat land

Originally Posted by Crisotf

(Does Brel speak dutch neatly, correctly ??)

I don't know if Brel was realy fluent in Dutch in everyday life, but in his songs he speaks it very well. Of course there's a (rather slight) accent, but it is beautiful and correct Dutch. Of course - again - a perfectionist artist such as Brel must have had assistance and coaching for the Dutch lyrics in his songs.

@Birdman: another fine translation. Well done. Although, on the other hand, it's hopeless to really capture the atmosphere of the original.

- I forgot to post the link to the video ("le plat pays" sung by Brel in dutch).
Here it is : http://youtube.com/watch?v=tweVwF1X5AQ

- I was wondering about the translation. Thank you for pointing out there's deliberate differences between the dutch and french versions.

- Note that the english subtitles used in the Youtube video differ also from your english translation. I dont know any dutch but I'll say your translation "sounds nearer" to Brel's style than the Youtube english subtitles.

- Birdman, your link didnt work for me. Many videos on that dutch tv-website work perfectly... except the Brel's concert. I read no dutch, may be a real-player plugin is required for this particular video, or some kind of registration, dont know.

- Thanks to the slow rythm of the song and to your post, it's pretty easy to follow the dutch lyrics, word by word, while listening to Brel. And as he did in french, he bit into each word, dictinctly, meticulously. It's interesting and fascinating.

- cortom: that's exactly what i wanted to know about his dutch accent. Now i may assume his singing sounds dutch for real (at worst, with a not so damaging french accent).
(I was asking because I wrongly noticed different brel's tone/sound/accent(?) in dutch parts of "marieke" versus dutch version of "plat pays". It's probably due to the big difference of rythm between the two songs).

I just watched (and listened to) the YouTube video. The English subtitles are not entirely accurate. I prefer Birdman's rendering of the song. The Dutch lyrics are realy quite amazing. It shows how great a poet Brel was. It would be interesting if you could post the French version of the song, for comparison.

To watch the video on the dutch TV-channel you do need the realplayer plug-in. I have the plugin, and it works like a charm with Firefox.

Originally Posted by cortom

To watch the video on the dutch TV-channel you do need the realplayer plug-in.

Thanks cortom for the hint.

And as you suggested, for everyone interested, just for the great "plaisir des mots" :


___ Le Plat Pays by Jacques Brel ____

- french lyrics by Brel
- dutch lyrics by Brel
- english lyrics translated from dutch by Birdman)


Avec la mer du Nord pour dernier terrain vague
Et des vagues de dunes pour arrêter les vagues
Et de vagues rochers que les marées dépassent
Et qui ont à jamais le cœur à marée basse
Avec infiniment de brumes à venir
Avec le vent de l'est écoutez-le tenir
Le plat pays qui est le mien


Wanneer de Noordzee koppig breekt aan hoge duinen
En witte vlokken schuim uiteenslaan op de kruinen
Wanneer de norse vloed beukt aan het zwart basalt
En over dijk en duin de grijze nevel valt
Wanneer bij eb het strand woest is als een woestijn
En natte westenwinden gieren van venijn
Dan vecht mijn land, mijn vlakke land


When the North Sea stubbornly breaks against the high dunes
And white flecks of spray shatter on their tops
When the surly tide hammers against the black rock
And a grey mist falls over the dikes and dunes
When by low tide the beach is desolate as a desert
And the damp Westerly winds screech with venom
Then my land fights, my flat land

_________

Avec des cathédrales pour uniques montagnes
Et de noirs clochers comme mâts de cocagne
Où des diables en pierre décrochent les nuages
Avec le fil des jours pour unique voyage
Et des chemins de pluie pour unique bonsoir
Avec le vent d'ouest écoutez-le vouloir
Le plat pays qui est le mien


Wanneer de regen daalt op straten, pleinen, perken
Op dak en torenspits van hemelhoge kerken
Die in dit vlakke land de enige bergen zijn
Wanneer onder de wolken mensen dwergen zijn
Wanneer de dagen gaan in domme regelmaat
En bolle oostenwind het land nog vlakker slaat
Dan wacht mijn land, mijn vlakke land


When the rain falls on streets, squares and parks
On the roofs and spires of churches that reach to heaven
Which, in this flat land, are the only mountains
When under the clouds people are like dwarves
When the days pass with numbing monotony
And bulging Easterly winds blast the land still flatter
Then my land waits, my flat land

______

Avec un ciel si bas qu'un canal s'est perdu
Avec un ciel si bas qu'il fait l'humilité
Avec un ciel si gris qu'un canal s'est pendu
Avec un ciel si gris qu'il faut lui pardonner
Avec le vent du nord qui vient s'écarteler
Avec le vent du nord écoutez-le craquer
Le plat pays qui est le mien


Wanneer de lage lucht vlak over 't water scheert
Wanneer de lage lucht ons nederigheid leert
Wanneer de lage lucht er grijs als leisteen is
Wanneer de lage lucht er vaal als keileem is
Wanneer de noordenwind de vlakte vierendeelt
Wanneer de noordenwind er onze adem steelt
Dan kraakt mijn land, mijn vlakke land


When the low sky skims right over the water
When the low sky teaches us humility
When the low sky is as grey as slate
When the low sky is as pale as stony clay
When the North wind quarters the plain
When the North wind steals our breath
Then my land creaks, my flat land

_____

Avec de l'Italie qui descendrait l'Escaut
Avec Frida la Blonde quand elle devient Margot
Quand les fils de novembre nous reviennent en mai
Quand la plaine est fumante et tremble sous juillet
Quand le vent est au rire quand le vent est au blé
Quand le vent est au sud écoutez-le chanter
Le plat pays qui est le mien.


Wanneer de Schelde blinkt in zuidelijke zon
En elke Vlaamse vrouw flaneert in zon-japon
Wanneer de eerste spin zijn lentewebben weeft
Of dampende het veld in juli-zonlicht beeft
Wanneer de zuidenwind er schatert door het graan
Wanneer de zuidenwind er jubelt langs de baan
Dan juicht mijn land, mijn vlakke land


When the Scheldt shines in the Southern sun
And every Flemish woman saunters in a summer-dress
When the first spider spins its webs in spring
Or the hazy fields tremble in July sunshine
When the Southern wind chortles through the grain
When the Southern wind goes cheering along the roads
Then my land rejoices, my flat land
_____



When Brel said : "Avec Frida la Blonde quand elle devient Margot"
Can someone tell me who are those "Frida la blonde" and Margot ???

Originally Posted by Crisotf

When Brel said : "Avec Frida la Blonde quand elle devient Margot"
Can someone tell me who are those "Frida la blonde" and Margot ???

I tried to find out who Frida la blonde was op the internet but no luck - only that Frida is a typically Northern Germanic name a margo a Southern Latin one.

There were more interesting theories for what 'les fils de novembre nous reviennent en mai' might refer to.
Someone said it was about fisherman who went on long voyages, another that it was to do with military service which would typically end in may.

Personally, I just take these lines as having a very general meaning: When the bad weather comes the land goes into a sort of hibernation. Then in may, with the arrival of the Southern weather the people rebecome their old selves. Frida sounds dour while margot sounds warmer, more lively.

Though having said that, 'frida la blonde' does sound like it could be a specific reference to something. Only wish i knew what!

Interestingly the girl in ces gens-la is also called Frida?!

This reminds me of a another mysterious choice of the name Margot in a French song. Though here it seems to mean something quite different!:

From Gainsbourg 'les oubliettes'

Dans chaque guinguette
J'ai cherché Juliette
Je n'ai je regrette
Que trouvé Margot

Originally Posted by birdman

, another that it was to do with military service which would typically end in may.

Reading this again, this would seem to make a lot of sense. I mean if Belgian national service ran from November to May. Hopefully Cortom might know.

Originally Posted by birdman

I tried to find out who Frida la blonde was op the internet but no luck - only that Frida is a typically Northern Germanic name a margo a Southern Latin one.

Though having said that, 'frida la blonde' does sound like it could be a specific reference to something. Only wish i knew what!

Interestingly the girl in ces gens-la is also called Frida?!

Frieda is a typical Flemish girls' name, while Margot is a francophone girls' name. Wherever you go during the summer months, the country girls of Brel's flat land get out to soak up the sun in France - Frieda becomes Margot

hope that helps

Cortom and others, Please note that the Dutch lyrics aren't exactly like the French lyrics, so Birdman's English translation, while highly poetic, is not a faithful translation of the French. I am the one who did the YouTube translation and subtitles with the help and consultation of people from both Belgium and France, and we strive for literal accuracy. It is tempting to write your own poetry based on someone elses, but with respect to Jacques Brel, we resist this temptation. We also see these these translations as a world-wide communal effort, so if anyone has constructive criticism it is welcome in the YouTube comment section.

Hi - I know this threat is 2 years old but I just wanted to thank all the contributors for the thoughtful translations and comments. I recently rediscovered Jacques Brel on the eve of a trip to Belgium when my husband played a few bars of "Marieke" on his guitar. I bought a few MP3s and got the same chills from the emotive vocals, the lyrical ingenuity, and the inventive arrangements that I had when I was 17. The mixing of the French and Dutch in "Marieke" is so inspired. In my mind the French lilting waltz parts have always paralleled the youth, passion, nostalgia, while the Flemish lyrics reflect harder, greyer reality. "The dumb wind," "the grey sea," "the sand scours over my land, my flat land" etc. Though of course it's Brel so the reality is heightened and poetic, especially in the last Flemish chorus with the black devil and his burning old heart. Anyway. Fabulous stuff.

Well, the thread is now three years old, but in case y'all are still checking, I've always figured a different meaning to that line: the widespread cultural migration of many Flemish toward Francophone culture. I lived in Brussels in the early 80s, hanging with Belgians who spoke only French (many knew some Flemish, but amongst ourselves the talk was in French). Many of these friends of mine had Flemish family names: Verbrugge, Verbelen, Jaeken, etc. And all of them had French given names. Their grandparents would not have been named Francois or Francoise, but these kids were.
I can't say whether this trend has continued, or to what extent. I do remember that between the time Brel wrote and recorded this song (mid 60s, I assume) and the time I was there, a cultural awakening had begun among the Flemish, an appreciation of their Flemish-ness. There was indignation as well, at the historic mistreatment of the Flemish (in the old days, my friends told me, a person could be arrested, accused, tried, convicted, sentenced and jailed, all without knowing what the accusation was, bc proceedings were all conducted in French and there was no provision made for translating to benefit an accused - a Belgian citizen - who happened to speak Flemish but not French).
Back to the song, I've always figured this line to be fairly literal: the children of people with Flemish names being given French names. So, as the decades passed, Frida became Margot.
As for "...de l'Italie, qui descendrait l'Escaut..." Well, ça me depasse. Any help?

Hmm. On further searching, I found a deconstruction of the song here: http://www.lacoccinelle.net/289044.html
This article takes each verse as a region, noting the mentions of the wind coming from east, north, west and south. The south wind verse has the line about Italy, and notes that a bunch of Italians wound up in the South of Belgium, working in the coal mines. The following line is about Frida la blonde, and I suppose could be talking about people coming over from Germany into that French speaking region of Belgium.

Hirschi Stephane in Le Silence de Brel seems to think that the importation of the baroque in architecture which came from Italy is what is meant by the line "Avec de l'Italie descendrait L'Escaut."

"l'influence italienne,manifeste en particulier en architecture, avec l'importation du baroque,en est transfiguree: de mouvement d'idees , elle devient mouvement liquide..."

Couldn't it also mean tourists, visitors and immigrants from Italy to the Plat Pays?

Thanks for the translation - it helped me to discover how beautiful this chanson is. It is not only a love song for Marieke or
longing for past time, it is also a song of love for his platte land, his Vlaanderland.