Biches
Jacques Brel Lyrics

Elles sont notre premier ennemi
The young, playful does are our first enemy, always escaping from the boredom of the pasture.

Quand elles s'échappent en riant
When they escape and laugh, they become even more dangerous.

Des pâturages de l'ennui
The pasture is full of boredom, and the does sense it.

Les biches
The does

Avec des cils comme des cheveux
These does have long, beautiful eyelashes.

Des cheveux en accroche-faon
Their hair is short and elegant.

Et seulement le bout des yeux
Only the tips of their eyes are visible, making them more seductive.

Qui triche
The does' eyes that cheat men into falling for them.

Si bien que le chasseur s'arrête
The hunters stop in their tracks when they see these does.

Et que je sais des ouragans
Jacques Brel knows that these does can create storms of emotions.

Qu'elles ont changés en poètes
The does can turn even the strongest hunters into poets with their seductiveness.

Et qu'on les chasse de notre esprit
We try to chase the does out of our thoughts.

Ou qu'elles nous chassent en rougissant
Or the does hunt us down, blushing as they do it.

Elles sont notre premier ennemi
The does remain our first enemy, even at fifteen years old.

Les biches de quinze ans
The fifteen-year-old does who are just as dangerous as ever.

Elles sont notre plus bel ennemi
At twenty years old, the does become our most beautiful enemies.

Quand elles ont l'éclat de la fleur
These does shine like flowers at their prime.

Et déjà la saveur du fruit
They are ripe and ready to be taken, but at what cost?

Qui passent toute vertu dehors
These does abandon all virtue and morality when they are after something.

Alors que c'est de tout leur cœur
They put their whole heart and soul into deceiving us.

Alors que c'est de tout leur corps
And even their body is used as a weapon to seduce us.

Qu'elles trichent
They cheat us, plain and simple.

Lorsqu'elles grignotent le mari
They nibble on married men.

Ou lorsqu'elles croquent le diamant
Or even diamonds are not safe from their grasp.

Sur l'asphalte bleu de Paris
They can be found even on the blue asphalt of Paris.

Qu'on les chasse à coups de rubis
We try to get rid of them with gifts of rubies.

Ou qu'elles nous chassent au sentiment
But they can also seduce us with their feelings and emotions.

Elles sont notre plus bel ennemi
The does continue to be our most beautiful enemies, even after turning twenty.

Les biches de vingt ans
The twenty-year-old does who have gained even more power.

Elles sont notre pire ennemi
As they grow older, the does become even more dangerous.

Lorsqu'elles savent leur pouvoir
They know how to wield their power over men.

Mais qu'elles savent leur sursis
But they also know that their power is limited and won't last forever.

Quand un chasseur est une chance
They see a hunter as an opportunity, not a threat.

Quand leur beauté se lève tard
Their beauty only grows with time.

Quand c'est avec toute leur science
They use all of their knowledge and experience to deceive us.

Qu'elles trichent
Once again, they use their cheating ways to get what they want.

Trompant l'ennui plus que le cerf
They are more skilled at deceiving and manipulating than even the wisest of stags.

Et l'amant avec l'autre amant
They trick lovers into betraying each other.

Et l'autre amant avec le cerf
Or even into betraying the faithful stag.

Qui biche
Who waits patiently for his mate to return.

Mais qu'on les chasse à la folie
We try to drive them out of our lives with sheer madness.

Ou qu'elles nous chassent du bout des gants
But they can easily push us away with a flick of their wrist.

Elles sont notre pire ennemi
At this point, the does are our worst enemy.

Les biches d'après vingt ans
The does who have lived for more than twenty years and have seen it all.

Elles sont notre dernier ennemi
The does are our final enemy, even when they are old and tired.

Quand leurs seins tombent de sommeil
When they are old and tired, their breasts hang low.

Pour avoir veillé trop de nuits
They have stayed up for too many nights, using their seductive ways in vain.

Les biches
The does

Quand elles ont le pas résigné
They walk with a slow and resigned gait.

Des pèlerins qui s'en reviennent
Like pilgrims returning home, they seek comfort in their final days.

Quand c'est avec tout leur passé
They use all the experience and memories of their life to hold onto us.

Qu'elles trichent
Even in their old age, they still use their manipulative ways to stay close to us.

Afin de mieux nous retenir
They do everything in their power to keep us by their side.

Nous qui ne servons à ce temps
For us, time is fleeting and we are at the does' mercy.

Qu'à les empêcher de vieillir
All we can do is try to stop them from getting older.

Les biches
The does

Mais qu'on les chasse de notre vie
We try to banish them from our lives.

Ou qu'elles nous chassent parce qu'il est temps
Or they decide to leave us because it is time for them to move on.

Elles restent notre dernier ennemi
But no matter what, the does are always our final enemy.

Les biches de trop longtemps
The does who have been around for too long and have outlasted us all.