SONG SATURDAY - FRIDA BOCCARA

“As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.” - William Shakespeare
 

For Music Saturday, a blast from the past. A song by French singer Frida Boccara (29 October 1940 – 1 August 1996). Frida Boccara was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She submitted the song “Autrefois” to the French Eurovision Song Contest selection panel in 1964 but she was unsuccessful. At the Eurovision Song Contest held in Madrid, Spain in 1969 she represented France and performed “Un jour, un enfant” (One day a child) – music by Emile Stern and text by Eddy Marnay. Her song (along with the entries from Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Spain) shared first place. Boccara renewed her links with Eurovision by participating in the French national finals of 1980 and 1981. However, neither song won. She died in 1996 in Paris, aged 55, from a pulmonary infection.
 

Here is a lovely song of hers with an olden sound and feel, as delicate as porcelain and crystal. It considers the travails of love and the difficulty of choosing between one’s heart and one’s reason… The illustration above is Jean‑Honoré Fragonard’s (1732–1806) “The Shepherdess”, of 1750/52.

Il faut te décider
 

Il faut te décider, ma jolie bergère,
Je crois qu’ il faut te décider,
Roland veut t’ épouser et tu aimes Pierre,
Je crois qu’ il faut te décider.
 

Choisis l’ un ou l’ autre
Si tu n’ as pas envie de perdre par ta faute
Pierre et Roland, le dauphin du roi ou le berger.
Oui, il faut te décider.
 

Roland veut t’ épouser et tu aimes Pierre,
Je crois qu’ il faut te décider.
Roland est un berger et tu es bergère,
Un roi ne te voudra jamais.
 

Entre l’ un qui t’ aime et l’ autre
Qui ne t’ a pas vu, ni parlé même,
Pierre ou Roland, le rêve ou bien la réalité,
Tu ne dois pas hésiter.
 

Roland est un berger et tu es bergère,
Alors, il faut aller danser.
Quand vous aurez dansé une nuit entière,
Tu sauras bien te décider.
 

A travers la ronde, tu verras qu’ il vaut mieux
Que tous les rois du monde,
Celui qui a plutôt des royaumes à te donner
Une couronne à garder.
 

Il faut te décider, ma jolie bergère,
Je crois qu'il faut te décider.
Roland veut t’ épouser, tu oublieras Pierre,
L’ amour est là pour décider.
 

You Must Decide
 

You must decide, my pretty shepherdess,
I think you have to decide:
Roland wants to marry you and you love Pierre,
I think you should decide.
 

Choose one or the other
If you do not want to lose both through your fault;
Pierre or Roland, the prince or the shepherd.
Yes, you must decide.
 

Roland wants to marry you but you love Pierre,
I think you should decide.
Roland is a shepherd and you're a shepherdess,
A king will never want you.
 

Between the one who loves you,
And the one that you have not seen, or even spoken to,
Roland or Pierre, dream or reality,
You should not hesitate.
 

Roland is a shepherd and you are shepherdess…
Now you must go dancing,
And when you have danced all night,
You’ll know what you must decide.
 

When you consider all, you’ll see that
Rather than choosing any of the kings,
Rather than all the kingdoms of the world, it is better
To choose the one who gives you a wedding crown.
 

You should you decide, my pretty shepherdess,
I think you should decide.
Roland wants to marry you, you’ll forget Pierre,
Love is there to decide for you.