Pourquoi, Princesse de Ballet,
Refuses-tu ta bouche?
Le coulisses du Châtelet
Sont elles si farouches?
Tu n'étais jadis à Moscou
Que fille de cuisine,
Les chauffeurs te baisaient au cou
Qui sentaient la benzine.
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First published in La Nouvelle Revue Française, nouvelle série, February 1, 1920 (7ème année, n°77).
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "The Old Régime: The Proud One", copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [
Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 8
Word count: 34
Why, Princess of the Ballet,
do you refuse to give your mouth?
Is everyone so shy
backstage at the Châtelet?
In Moscow
you were a kitchen maid
and the chauffeurs kissed
your benzine-scented neck.