etienne charry’s “je tue le temps”: a requested [crappy] translation:

from the lj feed:

… but translation is the hard part! and i’m just crap at it. but i’ll give it a shot.

Le pouce un peu relevé,
Index et majeur collés,
Et les autres bien repliés.

Thumb a little lifted,
Index and middle together,
And the others folded in

Je tire sur tout ce qui bouge,
Esprits fantômes aux yeux rouges,
Courants d’air et grains de poussières

I’m turning to the things that move
Phantom spirits with red eyes
Air-currents and dust motes

Je tue je tue le temps en ta en t’attendant
L’impact arrivera plus tard
Subsonique comme toi un peu en retard

I’m killing, I’m killing time waiting for you
The impact comes after,
Subsonically, like you, a bit later.

Elle s’en va un beau matin
Plus jamais elle ne revient
J’ai lu ça dans un quotidien

She’s leaving one beautiful morning,
And she’ll never return
I read it in the paper

Si jamais tu ne reviens pas
C’est sur tu me manqueras
Mais moi je ne te louperais pas

If you never come back
You’ll certainly miss me,
But I won’t miss you.

Je suis seul dans ma cabane
A compter les caravanes
Et les voitures qui tombent en pannes

I’m alone in my room,
Counting the groups,
And the cars which break down

Grâce à la pyrogravure
Je compose sur les murs
Des poèmes rien que pour toi

Thanks to pyrography
I’m writing poems on the sea
About anything but you.

the last bit is the part i’m least sanguine about the translation. ‘pyrography,’ while a fabulous word (and a literal translation), is awkward. someone who’s less out of practice than i could certainly do a better job. i’m probably missing an idiom, as well. but! it’s a translation, tout de suite, as requested — even if a crap translation. =)

thus: on hold with bank one, “je tue les temps en t’attendant,” apropos. ;)

better translations welcomed! srsly, now i’m curious.