Brave Margot - A heart-breaking tale of a shepherdess, who adopts a lost kitten

 

This is a very well-known song with a catchy chorus that people enjoy singing.  The story is set in a rustic France whose way of life was characterized by joie de vivre and in British eyes with a lot of harmless naughtiness.  

 

Cat lovers need consoling that it is only a made-up story.

 

Brave Margot   Margoton la jeune bergère Trouvant dans l'herbe un petit chat Qui venait de perdre sa mère L'adopta Elle entrouvre sa collerette(1) Et le couche contre son sein C'était tout c' qu'elle avait, pauvrette, Comm' coussin Le chat la prenant pour sa mère Se mit à téter tout de go(2) Émue, Margot le laissa faire Brav' Margot   Un croquant passant à la ronde(3) Trouvant le tableau(4) peu commun S'en alla le dire à tout l' monde Et le lendemain (Chorus) Quand Margot dégrafait son corsage Pour donner la gougoutte(5) à son chat Tous les gars, tous les gars du village Étaient là, la la la la la la Étaient là, la la la la la Et Margot qu'était simple et très sage Présumait qu' c'était pour voir son chat Qu'tous les gars, qu'tous les gars du village Étaient là, la la la la la la Étaient là, la la la la la   L' maître d'école et ses potaches Le mair', le bedeau, le bougnat(6) Négligeaient carrément leur tâche Pour voir ça Le facteur d'ordinair' si preste(7) Pour voir ça, ne distribuait plus Les lettres que personne au reste N'aurait lues Pour voir ça, Dieu le leur pardonne, Les enfants de chœur au milieu Du saint sacrifice(8) abandonnent Le saint lieu Les gendarmes, mêm' les gendarmes Qui sont par natur' si ballots(9) Se laissaient toucher par les charmes Du joli tableau   Chorus Quand Margot dégrafait son corsage Pour donner la gougoutte(3) à son chat Tous les gars, tous les gars du village Étaient là, la la la la la la Étaient là, la la la la la Et Margot qu'était simple et très sage Présumait qu' c'était pour voir son chat Qu'tous les gars, qu'tous les gars du village Étaient là, la la la la la la Étaient là, la la la la la     Mais les autr’s femm’s de la commune Privées d’leurs époux, d’leurs galants, Accumulèrent la rancune Patiemment… Puis un jour, ivres de colère(10), Elles s’armèrent de bâtons Et, farouches, elles immolèrent(11) Le chaton…     La bergère, après bien des larmes Pour s’consoler prit un mari Et ne dévoila plus ses charmes Que pour lui… Le temps passa sur les mémoires, On oublia l’événement, Seuls des vieux racontent encore À leurs p’tits enfants…   (Chorus)   Quand Margot dégrafait son corsage Pour donner la gougoutte(3) à son chat Tous les gars, tous les gars du village Étaient là, la la la la la la Étaient là, la la la la la Et Margot qu'était simple et très sage Présumait qu' c'était pour voir son chat Qu'tous les gars, qu'tous les gars du village Étaient là, la la la la la la Étaient là, la la la la la   (1954 – (Les amoureux des bancs publics 2).

Kind-hearted Margot    Li’l Margot the young shepherdess Finding in the grass a small cat Which had got lost from his mother Adopted him She half opens her dress collar And lays him up against her breast It was all that she’d got, poor girl, For a pillow. The cat, thinking her his mother Started to suckle straight away Thrilled, Margot let him carry on Kind Margot   An oafish man walking around Finding the tableau unusual Went to tell everyone the tale And the day after (Chorus) When Margot was undoing her blouse To give her cat its drop of milk All of the lads of the village, Were out there, la la la la la la Were out there, la la la la la And Margot, a simple, very good girl Presumed it was to see her cat That all the lads of the village, Were there, la la la la la la Were there, la la la la la   The school teacher and his pupils The mayor, the beadle, the coalman Flagrantly neglected their work To see this. The postman, normally so prompt To see this, stopped delivering The mail that, besides, no-body Would have read. To see this, may God forgive them, The altar boys right at the height Of the Holy Sacrifice sneak off From God’s house. The gendarmes, even the gendarmes, Who are, by nature, so cumbrous Let themselves be touched by the charms O’the pretty tableau.   (Chorus) When Margot was undoing her blouse To give her cat its drop of milk All of the lads of the village, Were out there, la la la la la la Were out there, la la la la la And Margot, a simple, very good girl Presumed it was to see her cat That all the lads of the village, Were there, la la la la la la Were there, la la la la la     But the other women of the district Deprived of husbands or boyfriends, Built up their resentment Patiently … Then one day, vicious with anger, They armed themselves with staves And ferociously slayed The small cat …     The shepherdess, after much weeping, So to console herself, got wed And ne’er again revealed her charms But for him … Time passed over the memories; The happenings were forgotten; Just some old men still tell the tale To their grandchildren …   (Chorus)   When Margot was undoing her blouse To give her cat its drop of milk All of the lads of the village, Were out there, la la la la la la Were out there, la la la la la And Margot, a simple, very good girl Presumed it was to see her cat That all the lads of the village, Were there, la la la la la la Were there, la la la la la

 

Translation Notes

 

1)     Collerette- Larousse tells us that this is a little round collar, often pleated, made of fine linen

 

2)     Le chat se mit à téter tout de go.  This fact gives us a problem.  If the young shepherdess has milk in her breasts, she must be a nursing mother and we find out later that she was not then married.  From this it would appear that she is not so “sage” in the French sense ( not such a good girl) and perhaps not so young.

On the other hand it is important for the poem that the shepherdess is young and innocent.  Perhaps the answer is that Brassens is being very relaxed about human biology for the sake of his tale.

3)     A la ronde= around -  for example «  à des kilomètres à la ronde » translates as  « for miles around »

 

4)     Le tableau : We would normally translate the word « tableau » as “picture” and this would be acceptable  here, but its meaning in French is also “theatrical scene” and   the French word is used in English.  The dictionary defines “ tableau » in English as: “an arrangement of people who do not move or speak, especially on a stage, who represent a view of life, an event, etc.”.

 

5)     Le bougnat – Larousse tells us that this word refers to a coal merchant.

 

6)     La gougoutte : is baby talk for « la goutte » - the drop (of water etc).

 

7)     Preste – Robert translates this as “nimble”.  It describes speed of movement and as an interjection “preste!” means “hurry up!”  I suppose that is why British magicians say “Hey presto!”

 

8)     Au milieu du saint sacrifice – thus at the climax of the mass.

 

9)     Ballot :  in correct speech this means parcel/ package.  Robert says that this is a noun in familiar speech meaning “nitwit”.  The basic idea seems to be heavy and plodding of movement. The idea of policemen being like a parcel seems to link with the policeman image in the children’s story, where he is “Mr Plod – the policeman”.

 

10)  Ivres de colère – the most common translation for « ivre » is drunk/ intoxicated but it also means in the grip of extreme passions hence: ivre de joie= wild with joy, ivre de sang= thirsting for blood.

 

 

11)  Larousse tells us that immoler is to offer an animal or a human being as a sacrifice/to put to death/massacre.