Trois Beaux Oiseaux du Paradis (Maurice Ravel)

One of three songs which Ravel wrote to his own words in 1915, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. Blue, white and red are the colours of the french flag (and the flags of many other countries).

Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis,	Three beautiful birds of paradise,
(Mon ami z'il est à la guerre)	(My friend has gone to war)
Trois beaux oiseaux du Paradis	Trois beautiful birds of paradise,
Ont passé par ici.	Have passed through here.
Le premier était plus bleu que ciel,	The first was more blue than the sky,
Le second était couleur de neige,	The second was the colour of snow
Le troisième rouge vermeil.	The third red, bright red.
“Beaux oiselets du Paradis,	“Beautiful little birds of Paradise,
Qu'apportez par ici?”	What (do you) bring through here?”
“J'apporte un regard couleur d'azur.	“I am bringing a blue-eyed look.
“Et moi, sur beau front couleur de neige,	“And me, on a beautiful forehead the colour of snow
Un baiser dois mettre, encore plus pur”	A kiss should place, even more pure”
“Oiseau vermeil du Paradis,	“Vermillion bird of paradise,
Que portez-vous ainsi?”	What do you bring as well?”
“Un joli cœur tout cramoisi …	“A beautiful heart all crimson …
“Ah! je sens mon cœur qui froidit …	“Ah, I feel my heart is becoming cold …
Emportez-le aussi”.	Take it also.”

Z'il. The z doesn't really mean anything, it's just a way of keeping the two vowels apart. It's like the t introduced when elle a is inverted to a-t-elle.

Rouge vermeil. Tempting to use vermilion, but that's the english for vermillon. Vermeil is an adjective meaning bright red, and qualifying rouge (red).

Un regard couleur d'azur. Azur (azure) is a literary way of saying blue. There are more brown eyes than blue in France, and the tendency was even more marked before the days of easy travel. So someone with blue eyes was likely to be foreign.

CPDL