My father René never fulfilled his longing to take to the sea.
René wanted to join the Navy, but his domineering father Raoul forbid it, forcing him to work at Sun Valley, the hotel/ski resort Raoul founded in the Laurentian mountains. René was a hunting guide and ski instructor.
René's fondest memories were of a trip he and his wife Bernice took on a sailing boat. He raised sails and hauled rigging.
When René ran away from his marriage, he worked on a merchant ship on the West coast. Bernice found him on a street corner in Vancouver.
He inhaled too much carbon monoxide in a garage in 1954. He spent the rest of his life in an asylum. He remembered nothing. We visited him every few years.
On the evening of 12 Sep. 2009, I felt a strong urge to listen to Charles Aznavour's "Emmenez-moi". The lyrics filled me with nostalgia and sadness. I also listened to "La Bohème".
The next morning I received a call from the asylum. René had died last night.
"Emmenez-moi", Charles Aznavour|
Vers les docks où le poids et l'ennui Me courbent le dos Ils arrivent le ventre alourdi De fruits les bateaux |
Around the docks where weight and boredom Bend my back Arrive boats heavily loaded With fruit |
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Ils viennent du bout du monde Apportant avec eux Des idées vagabondes Aux reflets de ciels bleus De mirages |
They come from the end of the world Bringing with them Vagabond Ideas Glints of blue skies Of mirages |
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Traînant un parfum poivré De pays inconnus Et d'éternels étés Où l'on vit presque nus Sur les plages |
Dragging a peppery fragrance Of countries unknown And eternal summers Where we live almost naked On the beaches |
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Moi qui n'ai connu toute ma vie Que le ciel du nord J'aimerais débarbouiller ce gris En virant de bord |
I who have known all my life But the northern sky I would like to wash that gray By changing course |
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Emmenez-moi au bout de la terre Emmenez-moi au pays des merveilles Il me semble que la misère Serait moins pénible au soleil |
Take me to the end of the earth Take me to a country of wonders I feel that poverty Would be less painful in the sun |
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Dans les bars à la tombée du jour Avec les marins Quand on parle de filles et d'amour Un verre à la main |
In the bars at dusk With sailors When we talk about girls and love A glass in hand |
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Je perds la notion des choses Et soudain ma pensée M'enlève et me dépose Un merveilleux été Sur la grève |
I lose my sense of things And suddenly my thoughts Snatch me away to A wonderful summer On the beach |
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Où je vois tendant les bras L'amour qui comme un fou Court au devant de moi Et je me pends au cou De mon rêve |
Where I see with outstretched arms Crazy love Running to meet me And I wrap my arms around My dream |
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Quand les bars ferment, que les marins Rejoignent leur bord Moi je rêve encore jusqu'au matin Debout sur le port |
When the bars close, the sailors Return to their ships I dream until morning Standing on the dock |
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Emmenez-moi... |
Take me to the end of the earth |
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Un beau jour sur un rafiot craquant De la coque au pont Pour partir je travaillerais dans La soute à charbon |
One day a on a tramp steamer Creaking from fore to aft To travel I would work in The coal bunker |
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Prenant la route qui mène A mes rêves d'enfant Sur des îles lointaines Où rien n'est important Que de vivre |
Taking the road that leads To my childhood dreams On remote islands Where nothing is important But living |
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Où les filles alanguies Vous ravissent le coeur En tressant m'a t'on dit De ces colliers de fleurs Qui enivrent |
Where languid girls Delight your heart By weaving, I've been told Necklaces of flowers Which intoxicate |
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Je fuirais laissant là mon passé Sans aucun remords Sans bagage et le coeur libéré En chantant très fort |
I would escape there leaving my past Without Remorse Without luggage and heart released Singing loudly |
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Emmenez-moi... |
Take me to the end of the earth |