Au café du canal

At the lovely Rosette's at the café by the canal
On the trunk of the linden that shaded the dance
You could read beneath two intertwined hearts
Here you can bring your kisses
Me, I had lost my kisses
And I thought I had kissed everything
But I didn’t know you had come
And that your fresh lips were all covered in them

Luck hadn’t smiled on me until now
The fairies didn’t lean over my cradle much
And every time I fell into a patch of nettles
There was a wasp to sting me in the neck
Yet my luck is here today
Under the green arbor of your curved lashes
When you looked at me for the first time
My old freedom started to stumble

We were alone in the world at this crowded dance
And with one hand I held your waist
Your breasts pushed against the folds of your blue corset
They almost won the battle
I love the sky because it’s in your eyes
I love the bird because it knows your name
I love your laughter and all those curious words
That you whisper at the collar of my jacket

And I see your hands crossed over your chest
Your clothes thrown on a chair at the foot of the bed
Your poor heart was making little sardine jumps
When I laid my head against it

God, you thank God, that’s so you
But my love for you is so much stronger
Could God have slept next to you
All night long without touching your body

At the lovely Rosette's at the café by the canal
On the trunk of the linden that shaded the dance
You could read beneath two intertwined hearts
Here you can bring your kisses