Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Autumn Leaves, Les Feuilles mortes


"The falling leaves drift by the window.


The autumn leaves of red and gold


I see your lips, the summer kisses


The sun-burned hands I used to hold


Since you went away the days grow long


And soon I'll hear old winter's song


But I miss you most of all my darling


When autumn leaves start to fall."


"Oh! Je voudrais tant que tu te souviennes


Des jours heureux ou nous etions amis.


En ce temps-la la vie etait plus belle,


Et le soleil plus brulant qu'aujourd'hui.


Les feuilles mortes se ramassent a la pelle.


Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublie . . . "

"Les Feuilles mortes" was written by the French surrealist poet Jacques Prevert.
The English translation, "Autumn Leaves," was written by Johnny Mercer, American lyricist and singer. Here it is sung in English by Nat King Cole.

14 comments:

  1. lovely, wistful, mournful, graceful. what a beautifully assembled post. every detail matched the other and amplified the feelings of it all. thankyou. steven

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  2. Melancholy beauty. Were those all your photos? They are fantastic!!

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  3. Lovely post Margaret...like Bonnie said...Melancholy...song from my youth!

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  4. beautiful photos.

    i hope you are not pining, margaret. myself, i want to let those autumn leaves fall, appreciate the incredible colors, and let another hopeful season show itself.

    ps book gets sent tomorrow...with joy.

    :)

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  5. What a gorgeous display! My favourite is the 7th down, with "but I miss you most of all my darling" underneath it. A little bit of everything in that one. I'm missing the colours back east; they don't get as vivid out west here because of the milder (wetter!) climate. So thanks, Margaret, for dazzling my eyes with autumn brilliance.
    Bises xo

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  6. There is no comparison to the colour palette of nature is there? Wonderful photos Margaret! I have the same colourful view from my window!!
    :-)

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  7. Such wonderful colurs! And it is great fun to to walk in too! Make you feel like a child again.

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  8. Such a flavour of the season in the words and pictures - thank you

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  9. Margaret..as usual your fall photos are spectacular. Such a wonderful time of the year. And I do love Nat King Cole....julie

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  10. Gorgeous pictures Margaret such a beautiful time of year.

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  11. Oh, one of my favorite songs! I absolutely love the way you presented this post. It was a treat and a feast for the eyes. You're a fantastic photographer, Margaret. What a beautiful variety of trees you have or live nearby (it would be impossible to pick a favorite).

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  12. What beautiful Fall colors - your photos are fantastic! I just love Nat King Cole, and this song is one of my favorites. I hadn't heard it in so long. Thank you for posting this!

    Hugs,
    Angela

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  13. Steven, what an absoutely beautiful thing to say! Thank you for the compliments.
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    Hi Bonnie and Wanda! It's the music that adds that melancholic touch, of loss, of regret. Those were all my photos and all from around my house (a couple I took last year). I'm originally from northern California where the fall colors aren't nearly as intense as in the northeast.
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    Hi kj! I do get that pining, nostalgic feeling from time to time. I like your advice. And I can't wait to get my book! Thank you!
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    Hi Lynne! I love that photo, too! It's hard to imagine how the tip of the branch has red leaves and then they turn to yellow as they go up. I just said the same thing about how maginificent our autumn leaves are in the northeast compared to the west! In fact, westerners come in droves out here for the fall foliage!
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    Hi Rain! You're right: nothing beats nature. And I guess we're in the same fall foliage belt so we get to share the colors.
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    Hi Gry! It is fun to walk in the leaves! And it smells so good, too!
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    Hi Elise! Thanks for visiting!
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    Hi Julie! Who was doing your jazzy version of Autumn Leaves? I loved it! It is a great time of year.
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    Hi Blues! It is beautiful out--you had some colorful photos, too.
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    Hi Lydia! Thanks for coming by and for your comments! You got me into music! It's such an accent.
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    Hi Sharon! Thanks! I know from your blog that you love this season, too!
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    Hi Angela! I love Nat King Cole, too, and enjoy the songs his daughter turned into duets. Thanks!

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