We Had Just Seen the Bull

Poem by Alfred De Musset Collection ArrayPeriod 19th century

Song.

We had just seen the bull,
Three boys, three girls.
On the lawn, the weather was fine,
And we were dancing a bolero
To the sound of castanets:
“Tell me, neighbor,
If I look well,
And if my basquina
Fits me well this morning.
Do you find my waist slender?…
Ah! ah!
The girls of Cadiz like that well enough.”

And we were dancing a bolero,
One evening, it was Sunday.
Toward us came an hidalgo
Decked in gold, plume in hat,
And fist on hip:
“If you want me,
Brunette with the sweet smile,
You need only say so,
This gold is yours.
— Go your way, fine sir…
Ah! ah!
The girls of Cadiz do not listen to that.”

And we were dancing a bolero,
At the foot of the hill.
On the path passed Diego,
Who for all his wealth has but a cloak
And but a mandolin:
“Beautiful one with gentle eyes,
Will you that to church
Tomorrow I lead you
A jealous lover?
— Jealous! jealous! what nonsense!
Ah! ah!
The girls of Cadiz fear that fault.”

Alfred De Musset

Translation generated by Poésies 123 with assistance from the deepseek-chat artificial-intelligence model.

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