Scholarly Spring Awakening

for analytic and academic 'spring awakening' content.

[wedekindstan]

i return from another long silence to say i'm still working on posting the rest of the transcription of the french translation! i'll be combing over it in the next week or two, as i noticed some misheard lyrics in my drafts. i will edit with updates any of the previously posted segments if i notice any flaws there.

and i wanted to call once again for anyone who also speaks french to help correct the transcript with me if they can! the staged reading that i've transcribed can be viewed here, and i welcome any feedback if you think i misheard or mistranslated something.

thank you all for enjoying this (very slow) project!

[wedekindstan]

L’ÉVEIL DU PRINTEMPS: SCENE 3 PART 1

THE FRENCH:

ANNA: Et Wendla, que vas-tu porter au mariage de Greta Brandenburg ?

WENDLA: Maman m’a dit que nous [n’irions] pas. 

THEA: Mais c’est le mariage de Greta !

MARTHA: Ça c’est parce qu’elle épouse le garde forestier. 

WENDLA: Maman pense que c’est [peu recommendable]. 

ANNA: Mais ils vont décorer l’église en des orchidées et chrysanthèmes !

WENDLA: Je sais, mais Maman ne veut pas.

ANNA: Ben, j’espère que ta mère appréciera l’homme que j’épouserai.

THEA: [Le mien] aussi !

WENDLA: Nous savons déjà toutes qui t'as l’intention d’épouser.

MARTHA: Melchior Gabor !

THEA: Mais qui ne voudrait pas ?

ANNA: C’est vrai qu’il est mignon.

WENDLA: Ah, si [attachant.]

MARTHA: Mais pas autant que ce triste [nez] de Moritz Stiefel.

ANNA & THEA: Moritz Stiefel ??

THEA: Mais comment peux-tu les comparer ? Melchi Gabor, c’est … un vrai rebelle ! Vous savez ce qu’on dit ? On dit qu’il croit en rien. Même pas au Dieu, même pas au Paradis, rien de ce monde n’a [à __'attirer] à ses yeux. 

ANNA: C’est vrai. On dit qu’il est premier en tout — en latin, en grec, en trigonométrie !

THEA: Et le pire, c’est qu’il s’en fiche complètement.

BACK TO ENGLISH:

ANNA: And Wendla, what are you going to wear to Greta Brandenburg's wedding?

WENDLA: Mama told me we [wouldn't go].

THEA: But it's Greta's wedding!

MARTHA: It's because she is marrying the forest ranger.

WENDLA: Mama thinks it's [not very commendable].

ANNA: But they're going to decorate the church in orchids and chrysanthemums!

WENDLA: I know, but Mama doesn't want to.

ANNA: Well, I hope your mother will like the man I marry.

THEA: [Mine too!]

WENDLA: We all know already who you mean to marry.

MARTHA: Melchior Gabor!

THEA: Well who wouldn't?

ANNA: It's true that he's cute.

WENDLA: Oh, so appealing.

MARTHA: But not as much as that sad [nose] of Moritz Stiefel's.

ANNA & THEA: Moritz Stiefel??

THEA: How can you compare them? Melchi Gabor, he's ... a real rebel! You know what they say? They say he believes in nothing. Not even in God, not even in Heaven, nothing in the world [has anything that can draw his eye].

ANNA: That's true. They say he's top of the class in everything — in Latin, in Greek, in trigonometry!

THEA: And the worst thing is he couldn't care less.

NOTES:

not much to remark on this time, apart from noting as I did on the end of the last translation segment that there's cut dialogue right before this — no knochenbroch & knuppeldick exchange, and the opening line of this scene in the original english, thea's "...and the bodice in lace, with a satin bow in back..." is also omitted.

for fun and enrichment, and because "il s'en fiche" showed up in this dialgue, i encourage you to have a little perusal of this post detailing the many diverse and potentially crass ways the french have to say "i don't care."

[wedekindstan]

MORITZ & THE HEADLESS QUEEN MONOLOGUE

okay there is honestly so much content in the Headless Queen monologue i don’t even know where to start or how much to say…

so obviously it’s hugely ironic and all that moritz says “it seems like i’m a headless queen myself” because of his death and reappearance at the end of the play when he is quite literally headless. i don’t think that takes much convincing to sell u guys on.

but there are a lot of smaller things that are very interesting. for starters, beyond the death foreshadowing there is a very heavy implication of moritz feeling like he’s unable to talk or communicate with other people and the world around him and the Queen provides a useful metaphor for that. ”she couldn’t eat, couldn’t drink, couldn’t see or laugh or kiss. The only way she could communicate with her court was with her small white hands.” this feeling spans beyond just ”i am nervous and getting people to understand me is hard” and is much more aptly put as “the outside world is inaccessible to me and i am stunted in my ability not only to put anything out there but to take anything in. there is a disconnect between the world and i.”

the metaphorical usage of a Headless Queen is also well suited to portray moritz’s state of ignorance. because of this society’s insistence on coddling him in some horrible, prolonged childhood, he knows quite frankly very little about anything. he feels incapable of thought because of his lack of knowledge. he feels that his brain is empty of this vital information, or that he is without a brain, compared to melchi; he feels headless.

the story of the Queen reaches a happy ending when a king with two heads arrives and a wizard transfers one head to the Queen, whereupon they marry happily and the Queen gets a head for good. if we continue to operate with the metaphor we established of moritz as the Headless Queen, lacking knowledge, understanding, and worldliness we must then proceed to recognize the king with his two heads as a symbol for melchior, over-saturated with wisdom and answers. the story of the Headless Queen is a subconscious cry from moritz for melchior to give him his understanding and thereby give him the tools to connect with the rest of the world.

obviously this presents a somewhat blatant homoerotic undertone by implying that melchior is to take the place of the king and, in a fashion “marry” moritz for his happy ending. but the undertone doesn’t only come from the two boys. the fairytale itself has some interesting little quirks in the homoerotic vein. the king bears two heads, neither of which is indicated as being feminine (the only difference being that one is smaller) and this king’s (presumably) masculine head fits perfectly on the body of the queen- that is to say, the male spirit and mind fits well enough into the body of a female without conflict, taking on a ‘female role.’ when the heads are separated, “the two of them kissed each other on the forehead, on the cheeks, and the mouth,” displaying a connection that is not simply obligatorily romantic but shows affection that is non-romantic and displays feelings of companionship and friendship. this is another possible indication towards moritz’s feelings about melchior.

i could go on in this vein for a while, but i won’t bore you. moving on.

as the monologue nears its end, moritz confesses “whenever i see a pretty girl i see her without a head” which is of course a funny line on the surface, but is also very telling in conjunction with his dream about legs in stockings. moritz seems to only find attraction to women when he views their bodies apart from their faces or heads; to apply the metaphor we’ve been using, without their minds or personalities. the head in this situation is representing the part that makes the woman individual or builds up her disposition. he does not see ‘the female disposition’ in an attractive light, perhaps implying that moritz cannot find romantic pleasure with women. the body, yes. the person, not so much.

but interestingly, he follows this remark up with “and then suddenly it seems like i’m a headless queen myself” now connecting himself with his image of women. we can draw one of two conclusions from this: 1) he feels that he, in the same way he sees women, cannot regard himself in a sexual or romantic light. 2) he is identifying himself with the general feeling of being a woman. while i think the former is a valid assessment, i personally favor the latter because moritz completes the sentiment (as well as the monologue) with “sometime maybe someone will put another head on me” connecting back to his subconscious pleas to be fixed by melchior and henceforth “married off” into happiness. this last line is a cry for melchior’s knowledge but is also a willing self-categorization as a being in need of what he sees all desirable women to be lacking: a head.

(if interjecting a bit of a stronger position here is acceptable, i’d also like to posit that this monologue is a fantastic basis for interpreting moritz as a trans girl when added to the canon fascination with / longing for what a woman feels during sex. that’s my personal favorite headcanon!)

god this is way too long and i apologize…. this isn’t even everything i want to say but it’s Too Much for one post so take this and do with it what you will

[wedekindstan]

@themaninyourcomputer

i'm actually an academic writing tutor at my local undergraduate college who works on citation with students all the time so ... i can answer this question. 😅 i'm sure you were joking, but here you go:

Wedekindstan, “Moritz & the Headless Queen Monologue,” Tumblr, 3 March 2019, https://wedekindstan.tumblr.com/post/183196558776/.

MLA style guide page i referenced to order this

i encourage you to share some of your paper with us all when you write it! i'm sure we'd all be interested to see your thoughts.

[wedekindstan]

are you still working on the translation? as a spring awakening fan and french learner i am very interested in reading it :)))

hello! yes, actually it’s pretty much as complete as it can get without someone paying me to get outside resources or consult the french translator. i just have not been uploading it. i kind of got the impression no one was that interested anymore, but it’s encouraging to hear someone wants to see more of it. i’ll try to get back to posting, but i’m at the tail end of an academic term right now, so it will more than likely have to be a summer posting project!

[wedekindstan]

friends! apologies for the silence. course work has been rather intense. soon the term will be over, though, and i have a complete (as complete as it will get) transcription/translation for the french project, the entirety of which i will try to queue up when finals are over.

one of my papers this term is about this french translation and some of the insights it gives us into the french musical theatre landscape. if enough people are interested in reading it, i may pull my name from it and make it available through this blog.

other that that, if you have spring awakening topics on your mind you think would be fun or interesting to see analysis on, or if you have analytical thoughts you would like to share yourself, please don’t be shy about sending me an ask! i love hearing from you all!

[wedekindstan]

happy spring equinox!! let’s awaken, my dudes :)

[wedekindstan]

L’ÉVEIL DU PRINTEMPS: SCENE 2 PART 5

THE FRENCH:

MORITZ: Ah, Melchi, soixante lignes d’Homère, toutes les équations à résoudre… Je sens que j’vais pas dormir beaucoup encore cette nuit. Tous ces rêves — j’arrive pas à penser à autre chose !

MELCHIOR: Ah oui, des rêves.

MORITZ: Melchi, dis-moi… pourquoi suis-je hanté par les jambes d’une femme ? J’ai l’impression [qu’il y a un message] comme si le destin m'amène entre ces deux cuisses !

MELCHIOR: [Bon], attends. Je vais t’expliquer. J‘épluchais pas mal de livres [____] et… je suis devenu un expert en la matière. Alors, écoute.

MORITZ: Non, non, pas ici ! Non, je peux pas parler d’ça ainsi. Rends-moi service. Mets tout ça par écrit, tout, et [glisse le conte rendu] dans ma sacoche, après la gym. Demain. … Et ne te prive pas pour mettre quelques illustrations dans la marge.

BACK TO ENGLISH:

MORITZ: Ah, Melchi, sixty lines of Homer, all those equations to solve... I feel I will not sleep much again tonight. All these dreams — I can’t manage to think of anything else!

MELCHIOR: Ah yes, dreams.

MORITZ: Melchi, tell me... why am I haunted by the legs of a woman? I have the impression [there’s a message in it] as if fate is bringing me between these two thighs!

MELCHIOR: [Alright,] wait. I’m going to explain it to you. I’ve peeled open quite a few [___] books and ... I became an expert on the subject. So listen.

MORITZ: No, no, not here! No, I can’t talk about it in such a way. Help me out? Put all that in writing, all of it, and [slip the delivered tale] into my bag after gym. Tomorrow. ... And don’t deprive yourself of putting some illustrations in the margin.

NOTES:

the text is pretty clear and simple here. much more interesting than what i had to translate is what i didn’t have to translate. this is all the dialogue that follows “bitch of living,” going immediately afterward into the next scene with the girls; we’ve got cut lines on either side of this exchange. cut content includes: ernst and hänschen’s achilles and patroclus exchange, the general class dispersal, and the professors remarking on the mismatched friendship of melchior and moritz. this reading cuts a rather significant amount of dialogue (as we’ll see the further into the show we get) but this is the first one of note.

[wedekindstan]

Visit Original Link

L’ÉVEIL DU PRINTEMPS: SCENE 2 PART 4

THE FRENCH

   CHANSON: « UNE PUTAIN DE VIE »

MORITZ: Je fais toujours le rêve étrange Que derrière le mur [épais] Je puisse parler à un ange En latin ou en français

— Sortez-moi d’ici! J’en peux plus Je voudrais me réveiller — Approche-toi, petit, me dit elle, La sortie, [c’est d’ce côté] !

Elle dit, donne-moi ta main Et ta peine si tu le veux Dis-moi tout ce qui te dérange Et te rend tout malheureux

Et comme un fantôme [je m’évade] J’en [postpose vos] destins L‘amour rend aveugle, mon gamin Mais je n’ai pas trouvé mieux

C’est une putain d’une vie (Pute ! Juste une pute !) Un enfer sur terre (Juste une pute, ouais !) C’est une putain d’une vie Tout ce [temps que l’on perd]

GEORG: Je passe mes nuits à [fuir] les murmures Sans jamais trouver repos Quand je pense aux [douces mélodies] De ma prof au piano

Et ses seins qui m’envisage [________ est trop] [Et les phantasmes d’un enfant sage] [partager_______]

GARÇONS: C’est une putain d’une vie (Pute ! Just une put !) Un enfer sur terre (Un enfer sur terre!) C’est une putain d’une vie C’est quoi, cette galère ?

Qu’est-ce qu’ils ont tous [après nous] ? On s’en fout

ERNST: Moi, je mate dans les douches communes

HÄNSCHEN: Bobby Maler est trop beau J’arracherais bien son costume.

ERNST: Je [veux sortir la tête] de l’eau.

OTTO: Et cette Marianna Wheeler Elle ne me rappelle jamais

HÄNSCHEN: C’est comme si [j’ouvrais les vannes], mec [Pas moyen d’] y échapper

MELCHIOR: C’est une putain de vie !

GARÇONS: C’est une putain de vie !

MELCHIOR: Et ils sont partout

GARÇONS: Sont partout

MELCHIOR: C’est une putain de vie [____] on s’en fout

GARÇONS: C’est une putain de vie

MELCHIOR: Regardez ! Regardez !

GARÇONS: On peux pas sortir

MELCHIOR: J’en appelle à ce ...

GARÇONS: C’est une putain de vie

MORITZ: Moi, j’ai jamais [___ vivre]

MELCHIOR: … que je saurai

GARÇONS: C’est une putain de vie, vie, vie

MELCHIOR: … que je saurai

GARÇONS: Quelle est la sortie ? C’est une putain de vie

MELCHIOR: [Sans perdre l’esprit]

GARÇONS: Putain, ça y est ! Oh, c’est parfait ! Oh quelle putain d’vie !

    FIN DE LA CHANSON

BACK TO ENGLISH

    SONG: “BITCH OF LIFE”

MORITZ: I always have this weird dream That behind the [thick] walls I could talk to an angel In Latin or in French

“Get me out of here, I can’t take any more, I would like to wake up” “Come here, little one,” she says to me “The exit [is this way]”

She says “Give me your hand And your pain, if you want Tell me everything that upsets you And that makes you so unhappy”

“And like a ghost, I [escape] I [put aside your] fates Love makes you blind, kid But I haven’t found anything better”

BOYS: It’s a bitch of a life (Bitch! Just a bitch!) A Hell on Earth (Just a bitch, yeah!) It’s a bitch of a life All that [time we lose]

GEORG: I spend my nights [fleeing] murmurs Without ever finding rest When I think of the [sweet melodies] Of my teacher at the piano

And her breasts that face me [_________is too much] [And the fantasies of a well-behaved child] [to share ____]

BOYS: It’s a bitch of a life (Bitch! Just a bitch!) A Hell on Earth (Hell on Earth) It’s a bitch of a life What is this torture?

What do they all have [against us]? We don’t care

ERNST: I [check them out in] the communal showers

HÄNSCHEN: Bobby Maler is too handsome I would tear his suit right off

ERNST: I [want to take my head out of the] water

OTTO: And that Marianna Wheeler She never calls me back

HÄNSCHEN: It’s like [I'm blowing off steam], man [No way to escape it]

MELCHIOR: It’s a bitch of a life!

BOYS: It’s a bitch of a life!

MELCHIOR: And they are everywhere

BOYS: Are everywhere

MELCHIOR: It’s a bitch of a life [_______] we don’t care

BOYS: It’s a bitch of a life

MELCHIOR: Watch! Watch!

BOYS: We can’t get out

MELCHIOR: I’m calling on...

BOYS: It’s a bitch of a life

MORITZ: I’ve never [___ to live]

MELCHIOR: What I will know

BOYS: It’s a bitch of a life, life, life

MELCHIOR: What I will know

BOYS: Where’s the exit? It’s a bitch of a life

MELCHIOR: [Without losing your mind]

BOYS: Fuck, that’s it Oh, that’s perfect Oh, what a bitch of a life.

    END OF SONG

NOTES:

this song was exceptionally difficult to hear with all the stage noise and mumbling, so there are significant gaps in what I can parse out. i hope if anyone else speaks french they will offer their thoughts on those blank spots!

“putain de...” structured profanity in french is a vast catch all for many different types of cursing we would use in english: “bitch of a ...” / “fucking ...” / “bloody ...” etc. now personally, i do think “fucking life” is more correct, but the syntax of the sentences it is used in works better in english with “bitch of a life.” the “fuck, that’s it” at the end is the same word i previously translated as bitch, but it is not followed by the “de...” construction, and so is more easily translated directly as the interjection “fuck!”

moritz’ dialogue with the angel is put into quotation marks based on my best guess of what she says versus what he narrates. the delivery does not make it clear in inflection exactly what part is the angel, so some of the lines are questionable in speaker, such as “But I haven’t found anything better,” which could easily be spoken by the angel or by moritz.

“what is this torture?” galère literally means either chore/pain/hell as in “this homework is a real pain/is giving me hell” (also the galley of a ship though that’s clearly not the right option here) but the grammatical flow was strange when i tried to use those phrasings directly, so i substituted torture as a plausible american english equivalent expression.

ernst’s lines make very little sense, and i must be missing something here. really butchered whatever was supposed to be here, sorry for it.

“blowing off steam.” c’est comme si j’ouvrais les vannes is literally closer to “it’s like i’ve opened up the sluice gate” but that is nearly meaningless in english, so an equivalent expression of blowing off steam seemed like a good option to be just a touch suggestive (as the french reads to me like hänschen talking about the release of masturbation). it is also very much worth noting that this hänschen’s lines do not imply, like the original english can, that hänschen is at all sexually successful. he gives no advice on how to “screw them all,” just advises that masturbation is a source of escapism.

EDIT 1/10/25: cleared up 2 lines in georg’s second verse. not much, though. still only fragments.

EDIT 9/10/25: altered the english translation of ernst’s first line to sound more fluent.

EDIT 12/15/25: thanks to @raphpic for contributions and corrections to the transcription!

[wedekindstan]

i truly, actually believe i will post the transcription/translation of “bitch of living” today, incomplete as it may be. hopefully others can contribute! also, i went back to add an edit to “all that’s known” as i looked it over and immediately realized i’d made an error. it’s now marked as an edit in the notes!

[wedekindstan]

heya, no idea if you're still active on this account or working on the transcriptions of sa in french, but just in case you are, dont give up! im an american student learning french and i absolutely love this play; discovering it and your transcriptions of it has really motivated me :) thanks sm!

hello! thank you for the kind words. :) i'm still here even when i'm not posting, and haven't abandoned posting the transcription/translation. graduate work and other translations have kept me really busy. it makes me so happy to know my efforts have meant something to you!

"bitch of living" continues to sound like gibberish at some spots, but i really appreciate your encouragement, and i'm thinking it may just be time for me to accept i can't get everything 100% but should post what i have and see if others can help fill in the gaps.

[wedekindstan]

the only thing delaying the new translated segments is how absolutely incomprehensible ‘bitch of living’ is.... looking at you, georg. but.... god help me i think it will be ready in a day or so

[wedekindstan]

fun SA analysis i’m thinking about at 1am tonight: melchior gets really abruptly upset when moritz asks him to think about a girl’s experience of sex, “submit[ting] to such a sweet wrong without deserving it” and this interaction is the first scene immediately after the switch scene (albeit separated by an act break) so it’s totally reasonable and textually supported to read melchior’s “keep it to yourself. — i don’t like to imagine it...” as a reaction founded in the trauma, pain, and confusion of what just happened with wendla.  this theory would posit that he’s rejecting empathy with feminine experience because allowing it it would mean confronting what wendla wanted/felt when he beat her.

[wedekindstan]

L’ÉVEIL DU PRINTEMPS: SCENE 2 PART 3

THE FRENCH:

HERR SONNENSTICH: Parfait messieurs. Veuillez prendre vos cahiers. « Inferretque deōs Latiō, » les sept versets suivants du voyage d’Énée le pur, par cœur.

MORITZ: Merci, Melchior.

MELCHIOR: C’est rien.

MORITZ: Je suis désolé, [t’aurais jamais du]—

MELCHIOR: T’inquiète pas. Énée à plus souffert que moi.

MORITZ: J’aurais du savoir. « Multum ille ! » C’est juste que… j’ai pas dormi la nuit. J’ai eu des visions absolument horribles !

MELCHIOR: Oui mais tu veut dire que t’as rêvé, ou quoi ?

MORITZ: Un cauchemar, oui ! Des jambes couvertes des bas bleu qui se balancer [le long] à pupitre. 

MELCHIOR: Oh, ce genre de rêve !

MORITZ: Tu veux dire que tu à déjà eu ce genre de fantasme ?

MELCHIOR: Bien sûr, Moritz. Tout le monde en a. Otto Lämmermeier [rêva] de sa mère. 

MORITZ: C’est pas vrai!

MELCHIOR: Mais si ! Georg Zirschnitz rêve qu’il se fait séduire par son professeur de piano.

MORITZ: Frauline Grossenbustenhalter ?

HERR SONNENSTICH: Moritz Stiefel, ai-je besoin de vous rappeler que de tous les élèves de cette classe vous êtes certainement le moins indiqué à prendre des libertés ? Que je ne vous [y reprenne] pas!

BACK TO ENGLISH:

HERR SONNENSTICH: Perfect, gentlemen. Please take out your notebooks. “Inferretque deōs Latiō,” the following seven lines of pious Æneas’s journey, by heart.

MORITZ: Thank you, Melchi

MELCHIOR: It’s nothing.

MORITZ: I’m sorry. [You should never have had to]—

MELCHIOR: Don’t worry. Æneas has suffered more than I.

MORITZ: I should have known. “Multum ille!” it’s just that... I didn’t sleep last night. I had absolutely horrific visions!

MELCHIOR: Okay, do you mean you dreamed?

MORITZ: A nightmare, yes! Legs covered in blue stockings that swung along the length of a school desk.

MELCHIOR: Oh, that type of dream!

MORITZ: Tu mean to say that you have already had that type of fantasy before?

MELCHIOR: Of course, Moritz. Everyone has them. Otto Lämmermeier [dreamed] of his mother.

MORITZ: It’s not true!

MELCHIOR: Oh yes! Georg Zirschnitz dreams he is seduced by his piano teacher.

MORITZ: Frauline Grossenbustenhalter?

HERR SONNENSTICH: Moritz Stiefel, need I remind you that of all the students in this class you are certainly the least appropriate to be taking liberties? If I have to reprimand you again...!

NOTES:

pretty straight forward.

one small comment: even though it’s clear from context that melchior is just saying “otto dreamt about his mother” it sounds in the recording like he’s using the word rêva ('passé simple’ tense) instead of ai rêvé (’passé composé’ tense), which i’ve always been taught is strictly literary. people don’t just use the ‘passé simple’ tense in normal conversation. so, interesting? i might just be hearing that wrong, though.

[wedekindstan]

Visit Original Link

L’ÉVEIL DU PRINTEMPS: SCENE 2 PART 2

THE FRENCH:

     CHANSON: « CE QU’ON SAIT »

GARÇONS (mélopée sous MELCHIOR): Lītora, multum ille et terrīs iactātus et altō Vī superum saevae memorem Iūnōnis ob īram; Multa quoque et bellō passūs, dum conderet urbem. Arma virumque canō, Trōiae quī prīmus ab ōrīs Ītaliam, fātō profugus, Lāvīniaque vēnit…

MELCHIOR: Ce qu’on sait En histoire ou en science Sont des faits Qu’on apprend en patience

Si tu doutes, Ils puniront l’insolence De tout ce que tu sais Mais que tu réprimes en silence

Ce qu’on vit Est écrit dans les livres Tu l’apprends Mais c’est de pire en pire

[On te] corrige, Mais l’argent est la cible En verité on [érige] Tout ce qu’il y a dans la Bible

Mais je sais [Ce qu’on ne nous disent pas] Que je garde dans secret Au fond de moi

Et je sais Ne pas leur faire confiance Juste [les y aurai méfiance]

Et je pas Dans un rêve idéal Je m’égare Pendant que l’on me parle

J’en appelle [À percer là où] grand jour La vérité, comme elle serait, [Délivrait nous à tous]

Regardez, regardez J’en appelle à ce que je saurai Regardez, regardez J’en appelle, j’en appelle à ce que je saurai

     FIN DE LA CHANSON

BACK TO ENGLISH:

     SONG: “WHAT WE KNOW”

BOYS (chanted under MELCHIOR): Lītora, multum ille et terrīs iactātus et altō Vī superum saevae memorem Iūnōnis ob īram; Multa quoque et bellō passūs, dum conderet urbem. Arma virumque canō, Trōiae quī prīmus ab ōrīs Ītaliam, fātō profugus, Lāvīniaque vēnit…

MELCHIOR: What we know In history or in science Are facts We learn through patience

If you waver They will punish the insolence Of everything you know But repress in silence What we live Is written in books You learn it But things only get worse

[They correct you] But money is the objective To tell the truth, they [elevate] Everything in the bible

But I know [What they don’t tell us] What I protect, in secret, Deep inside me

And I know Not to trust them Just [to suspect them]

And I walk In a perfect dream My mind wanders While others talk to me I call for them [To break through to where,] one day The truth, how it will be, [Will deliver us all]

Watch, watch, I’m calling on what I will know Watch, watch I’m calling on what I will know

     END OF SONG

NOTES:

on in french is loosely equivalent to the english one as in “one can’t be too prepared,” though the french use it much more frequently. it generally replaces nous (we) in casual conversation, and can also replace tu (you) or il/elle/ils/elles (he/she/they). so ... on can cover almost any pronoun, but melchior’s accusatory tone here makes it clear he’s not using a we sentiment. this is a they situation.

this had some interesting sentence structure which made normally safe assumptions in parsing out unlikely homophones much harder. not sure if this is meant to convey his feeling of intellectual superiority or if some phrases are just positioned strangely because they have to fit the meter of the song. fun fact: english music & poetry tends to favor iambs (pairs of unstressed & stressed syllables) in groups of 5 while french doesn’t really use a stressed/unstressed designation and favors groups of 6 syllables, which is one reason lyrics/verse may be hard to translate from one language into the other.

“will deliver us all.” went back and forth listening to the audio on this one... could also be just a weird pronunciation of “delivered from her [truth’s] tower” but the grammar made slightly less sense so i opted for the other choice.

“ce qu’on sait” is a genius title for melchior’s theme because of what it becomes by the end of the show. i won’t spoil the wordplay, but do keep an eye out in the finale song translation. (i’ll link this post with that one when both are up, so they can reference each other.)

EDIT: “ce qu’on ne nous disent pas” replaced the previously misheard “ceux connes nous disent pas” (which frankly never made sense to begin with). it’s a shortcoming of mine that i often confuse phrases with elided ‘que’s, sorry!

[wedekindstan]

alas, still working on “bitch of living,” but i have the 2 translated segments before it (including “all that’s known”) queued :)

[wedekindstan]

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lyrics & translation

[wedekindstan]

Visit Original Link

lyrics & translation