Day Three of 3-Day-Quote Blog Challenge

“Avec le temps”

With time, it goes, everything goes away.

Avec le temps is a poem and song composed by Léo Ferré (24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993). I note that I am composing the draft of this piece on the anniversary of his death (also Bastille Day). Léo Ferré was “a Monegasque French [he grew up in Monaco] poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer, whose career in France dominated the years after the Second World War until his death.” Wikipedia. Worth reading is his bio, for he was an individual who followed his heart, led a fascinating life and became an anarchist. Few have his courage to do so in a positive, compassionate sense, in the global atmosphere today.

Below, I have excerpted lines from the poem. While the poem speaks ostensibly about the lost passion of a lost love, it holds a deeper, or higher meaning. All life is impermanent, transitory. Everything comes and everything goes away. To lessen despair and suffering, it would seem well, then, to adopt a laissez-faire attitude towards life; that is, to not allow ourselves to get boxed into the emotion of the event, but to see it and let it go. Easy to say, I know; nonetheless, Avec le temps gives us pause for thought.

With time …

With time, it goes, everything goes away
We forget the face and we forget the voice
The heart, when it stops beating,  there’s no point
Searching further, let it go and that is very well

With time …
With time, it goes, everything goes
The other we adored, we searched in the rain

With time, it goes, everything goes
We forget the passions and we forget the voices
Which whispered the words of the poor people
“Don’t return too late, mostly don’t catch cold.”

With time, everything goes away and we feel pale and gray, like a tired old horse. Everything vanishes.

Translated from http://emilyspoetryblog.com/2013/09/15/avec-le-temps-by-leo-ferre/.  A number of English translation versions exist, and none can match accurately, not if you’re thinking in English. It is better to think in the French culture, as best you can.

Here is another stunning live performance, by Patricia Kaas. In this performance, she goes away and then returns.

–Samantha Mozart