"Elle Était Déchaussée, Elle Était Décoiffée" De Victor Hugo is read and thoroughly explained and analyzed in the 2nd volume of Easy French Poetry Readings And Analysis, for sale on FrenchToday.com. In this series, I read, paraphrase and analyze simply, using everyday French, the most famous French poems, and then talk about their author’s life. It's a great way to improve your French vocabulary and pronunciation while learning about French culture.
1 - Poem
Elle était déchaussée, elle était décoiffée,
Assise, les pieds nus, parmi les joncs penchants ;
Moi qui passais par là, je crus voir une fée,
Et je lui dis : Veux-tu t'en venir dans les champs ?
Elle me regarda de ce regard suprême
Qui reste à la beauté quand nous en triomphons,
Et je lui dis : Veux-tu, c'est le mois où l'on aime,
Veux-tu nous en aller sous les arbres profonds ?
Elle essuya ses pieds à l'herbe de la rive ;
Elle me regarda pour la seconde fois,
Et la belle folâtre alors devint pensive.
Oh ! comme les oiseaux chantaient au fond des bois !
Comme l'eau caressait doucement le rivage !
Je vis venir à moi, dans les grands roseaux verts,
La belle fille heureuse, effarée et sauvage,
Ses cheveux dans ses yeux, et riant au travers.
2 - Translation
Her shoes were pulled off, her hair undone,
She was sitting barefoot among the leaning rushes,
As I passed by, I thought I had seen a fairy
And asked her: would you like to go for a stroll in the fields?
She looked at me with this supreme look
That beauty bares in all her glory,
And I said, "Would you like – since it’s the month of love –
Would you like to go with me under the dense forest?
She wiped her feet on the grass of the bank;
She looked at me a second time,
And the playful beauty then turned pensive.
Oh, how the birds sang in the depths of the woods!
How gently the water caressed its banks!
I saw come to me, through the tall green reeds,
The beautiful girl, happy, frightened and wild,
Her hair in her eyes, and laughing through it
