Ulysse Lyrics in English Ridan

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Ulysse by Ridan from French to English.
Happy the one who, like Ulysses, made a fine trip
Or like that one who conquered the fleece
And then came back, full of experience and sense
To live among his parents for the rest of his days
When will I see again, alas, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
Season, will I see the yard again?
But when will I see again, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
But when will I see again
But when will I see again, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
But when will I see again
When will I see again?
Will I see again the yard of my poor house
That’s a whole province to me and so much more?
I prefer the home my ancestors built
To the daring facades of Roman palaces
The fine slate pleases me more than hard marble
My Gaulish Loir more than the Latin Tiber
My little Liré more than the Palatine Hill
And the Angevin softness more than sea air
But when will I see again, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
But when will I see again
But when will I see again, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
But when will I see again
When will I see again?
I crossed the seas with the strength of my arms
Alone against the gods, lost in the tides
Holed up in a hold, my old eardrums pierced
So I’d never hear the sirens and their voices again
Our lives are a war where it’s all up to us
To care about our fates, to pick the right choice
To beware of our steps and all that still water
That pollutes our paths supposedly paved with gold
But when will I see again, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
But when will I see again
But when will I see again, from my little village
Smoke from the chimney, and in what season?
But when will I see again
Outro
When will I see again?
But when will I see again
But when will I see again
When will I see again?
But when will I see again
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dagagneadvantage

Davantage appears in the line "Qui m'est une province et beaucoup davantage?"—here it means "much more" or "far more." It's a beautifully archaic-sounding word that elevates a simple comparison into something poetic.

Ridan borrows this from Joachim du Bellay's 16th-century poem, where the speaker asks if his humble home isn't just a province, but far more than that to him. It's a rare, elegant term that captures the song's central theme of treasuring one's origins above all worldly grandeur.

Ulysse whisks us into a timeless adventure, where Ridan blends ancient myth with very modern feelings. Borrowing lines from the 16th-century poet Joachim du Bellay, the song celebrates the thrill of travel – think of Ulysses sailing the Mediterranean or Jason chasing the Golden Fleece – yet it quickly turns into a heartfelt homesick anthem. Every chorus circles back to the same simple picture: smoke curling from the chimney of a tiny village house. No palace, no marble monument can match that cozy image of home.

In the verses Ridan adds his own story, evoking an immigrant’s odyssey: rowing across seas "seul contre les dieux," blocking out dangerous siren songs, and suspecting that the promised roads of gold are often polluted. The message is clear and relatable – life is a battle of choices, but the real treasure may be the place we started from. "Ulysse" is both a rousing travelogue and a gentle reminder that, sooner or later, we all long for the familiar warmth of our roots.

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