Translation Please: Elle est d'ailleurs (Pierre Bachelet)

Hi there

I'd be greatful if somebody kindly translate this beautiful song into English.

Thanks in advance for your time and help.

Best Regards

Erwin





Elle est d'ailleurs


Elle a de ces lumières au fond des yeux
Qui rendent aveugles ou amoureux
Elle a des gestes de parfum
Qui rendent bête ou rendent chien
Et si lointaine dans son cœur
Pour moi c'est sûr, elle est d'ailleurs

Elle a de ces manières de ne rien dire
Qui parlent au bout des souvenirs
Cette manière de traverser
Quand elle s'en va chez le boucher
Quand elle arrive à ma hauteur
Pour moi c'est sûr, elle est d'ailleurs

Et moi je suis tombé en esclavage
De ce sourire, de ce visage
Et je lui dis emmène moi
Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages
Vers d'autres lieux, d'autres rivages
Mais elle passe et ne répond pas
Les mots pour elle sont sans valeur
Pour moi c'est sûr, elle est d'ailleurs

Elle a de ces longues mains de dentellière
A damner l'âme d'un Werner
Cette silhouette vénitienne
Quand elle se penche à ses persiennes
Ce geste je le sais par cœur
Pour moi c'est sûr, elle est d'ailleurs

Et moi je suis tombé en esclavage
De ce sourire, de ce visage
Et je lui dis emmène moi
Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages
Vers d'autres lieux, d'autres rivages
Mais elle passe et ne répond pas
L'amour pour elle est sans valeur
Pour moi c'est sûr, elle est d'ailleurs

Et moi je suis tombé en esclavage
De ce sourire, de ce visage
Et je lui dis emmène moi
Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages
Vers d'autres lieux, d'autres rivages
Mais elle passe et ne répond pas

she's from somewhere else (elsewhere)

she has those lights in the depth of her eyes
that make blind people fall in love
[I don't really know how to translate this sentence, it's something like she moves gently and lightly like perfume in the air ]
that make you become silly or make you become hard/ though
and so distant inside her hearth
that I'm sure she is from somewhere else

she has manners of saying nothing
that speak beyond the memories
that manner of crossing
when she goes to the butcher's
when she reaches my height [I'm not sure about that one ]
I'm sure she is from somewhere else

And I became a slave
of that smile, of that face
and I tell her take me away
I'm ready for all the wakes
to other places and other shores
but she passes by without answering
for her words are worthless
I'm sure she is from somewhere else

she has long hands like a lacemaker
to damn Werner's soul
that venetian silhouette
when she leans out of the shutters
I know that gesture by hearth
I'm sure she is from somewhere else

And I became a slave
of that smile, of that face
and I tell her take me away
I'm ready for all the wakes
to other places and other shores
but she passes by without answering
for her words are worthless
I'm sure she is from somewhere else

And I became a slave
of that smile, of that face
and I tell her take me away
I'm ready for all the wakes
to other places and other shores
but she passes by without answering
for her words are worthless
I'm sure she is from somewhere else

Thanks Måneblomst for your nice translation. It helped me to enjoy the song even more; especially when he sings: "Et moi je suis tombé en esclavage, de ce sourire, de ce visage"

I have two questions:

What does this mean?: "I'm ready for all the wakes" (Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages). As you know "to Wake" has different meanings in English like (1) to sit up late [at night] (2) to excite or arouse someone (3) to bring to life again.
So in French when you say "Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages", what excatly do you mean?

When it says "Quand elle arrive à ma hauteur"; could this mean that "When she grows older" (like me), or when she would be as tall as I am (or becomes the same age as I'm now)?

I'm not familiar with French language, however I'm a fan of French music, cinema and art.Thanks for helping people like me to have better understanding of the culture.

Regards

Erwin

hey there

1) I think I used the wrong word I wanted to use wake in the sense of trail, but the word I needed was stream. So "Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages
Vers d'autres lieux, d'autres rivages" will be something like I'm ready for the streams that will lead me to other places, other shores.

2) I didn't understand what this person meant by that at first. I think what he means is "when she is equal to me" he doesn't specify in which sense though.

I hope you understand now
and you're welcome, I'm glad I can help people learning languages they love, because when I like a language I'm always asking for translations and stuff

Et moi je suis prêt à tous les sillages : i think he means that he is ready to follow here everywhere she goes, sillage can mean way in english, to be in the "sillage " of somebody, means to be in the way of smbd, and for exenmple, when you see a boat, you can see the marks he leaves on the water? that is a sillage

in the song, she is walking, so when he says Quand elle arrive à ma hauteur, it's the moment when she pass him by, i don't really know how to explain it sorry if you don't understand, i'm french ^^

mmmh, I very much like Pierre Bachelet's songs !

I agree with evangeline about the meaning of sillage and about Quand elle arrive à ma hauteur :

More explaination :

The woman is going to the butcher. She is walking more quicly and she joins the man or, more probably, the man is coming in opposite sense.

One can read it so :
Elle a cette (= une) manière étrange de traverser quand elle va chez le boucher et que je vois bien quand elle arrive à ma hauteur.
She has a walking (lit: crossing) strange style when going to the butcher and I see it well when we cross ourselves.

Hauteur is a figurative sense for considering the point where you are on the road comparated to an other point : Je suis à (la) hauteur de l’Hôtel Matignon, de la Tour Eifel …

Thank you all, for your time and kind help. I appreciate that very much.

Best Regards

Erwin