Quand Bob Dylan monte sur le Titanic

"Tempest"

The pale moon rose in its glory
Out on the Western town
She told a sad, sad story
Of the great ship that went down

It was the fourteenth day of April
Over the waves she rode
Sailing into tomorrow
To a golden age foretold

The night was black with starlight
The seas were sharp and clear
Moving through the shadows
The promised hour was near

Lights were holding steady
Gliding over the foam
All the lords and ladies
Heading for their eternal home

The chandeliers were swaying
From the balustrades above
The orchestra was playing
Songs of faded love

The watchman, he lay dreaming
As the ballroom dancers twirled
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Into the underworld

Leo took his sketchbook
He was often so inclined
He closed his eyes and painted
The scenery in his mind

Cupid struck his bosom
And broke it with a snap
The closest woman to him
He fell into her lap

He heard a loud commotion
Something sounded wrong
His inner spirit was saying
That he couldn't stand here long

He staggered to the quarterdeck
No time now to sleep
Water on the quarterdeck
Already three foot deep

Smokestack was leaning sideways
Heavy feet began to pound
He walked into the whirlwind
Sky splitting all around

The ship was going under
The universe had opened wide
The roll was called up yonder
The angels turned aside

Lights down in the hallway
Flickering dim and dull
Dead bodies already floating
In the double bottom hull

The engines then exploded
Propellers they failed to start
The boilers overloaded
The ship's bow split apart

Passengers were flying
Backward, forward, far and fast
They mumbled, fumbled, and tumbled
Each one more weary than the last

The veil was torn asunder
'Tween the hours of twelve and one
No change, no sudden wonder
Could undo what had been done

The watchman lay there dreaming
At forty five degrees
He dreamed that the Titanic was sinking
Dropping to her knees

Wellington he was sleeping
His bed began to slide
His valiant heart was beating
He pushed the tables aside

Glass of shattered crystal
Lay scattered roundabout
He strapped on both his pistols
How long could he hold out?

His men and his companions
Were nowhere to be seen
In silence there he waited for
Time and space to intervene

The passageway was narrow
There was blackness in the air
He saw every kind of sorrow
Heard voices everywhere

Alarm-bells were ringing
To hold back the swelling tide
Friends and lovers clinging
To each other side by side

Mothers and their daughters
Descending down the stairs
Jumped into the icy waters
Love and pity sent their prayers

The rich man, Mister Astor
Kissed his darling wife
He had no way of knowing
It'd be the last trip of his life

Calvin, Blake and Wilson
Gambled in the dark
Not one of them would ever live to
Tell the tale on the disembark

Brother rose up 'gainst brother
In every circumstance
They fought and slaughtered each other
In a deadly dance

They lowered down the lifeboats
From the sinking wreck
There were traitors, there were turncoats
Broken backs and broken necks

The bishop left his cabin
To help others in need
Turned his eyes up to the heavens
Said, "The poor are yours to feed"

Davey the brothel-keeper
Came out dismissed his girls
Saw the water getting deeper
Saw the changing of his world

Jim Dandy smiled
He never learned to swim
Saw the little crippled child
And he gave his seat to him

He saw the starlight shining
Streaming from the East
Death was on the rampage
But his heart was now at peace

They battened down the hatches
But the hatches wouldn't hold
They drowned upon the staircase
Of brass and polished gold

Leo said to Cleo
I think I'm going mad
But he'd lost his mind already
Whatever mind he had

He tried to block the doorway
To save all those from harm
Blood from an open wound
Pouring down his arm

Petals fell from flowers
'Til all of them were gone
In the long and dreadful hours
The wizard's curse played on

The host was pouring brandy
He was going down slow
He stayed right to the end and he
Was the last to go

There were many, many others
Nameless here forever more
They never sailed the ocean
Or left their homes before

The watchman, he lay dreaming
The damage had been done
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
And he tried to tell someone

The captain, barely breathing
Kneeling at the wheel
Above him and beneath him
Fifty thousand tons of steel

He looked over at his compass
And he gazed into its face
Needle pointing downward
He knew he'd lost the race

In the dark illumination
He remembered bygone years
He read the Book of Revelation
And he filled his cup with tears

When the Reaper's task had ended
Sixteen hundred had gone to rest
The good, the bad, the rich, the poor
The loveliest and the best

They waited at the landing
And they tried to understand
But there is no understanding
On the judgment of God's hand

The news came over the wires
And struck with deadly force
Love had lost its fires
All things had run their course

The watchman he lay dreaming
Of all the things that can be
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Into the deep blue sea

Tourmente

The pale moon rose in its glory
La lune pâle se lève dans toute sa splendeur
Out on the Western town
Sur la ville de l'Ouest
She told a sad, sad story
Elle a raconté la triste, triste histoire
Of the great ship that went down
Du grand bateau qui a sombré

It was the fourteenth day of April
C'était le quatorzième jour d'avril
Over the waves she rode
Au-dessus des vagues, elle montait
Sailing into tomorrow
Naviguant vers demain
To a golden age foretold
Vers un âge d'or annoncé

The night was black with starlight
La nuit était noire avec la lumière des étoiles
The seas were sharp and clear
Les mers étaient hautes et dégagées
Moving through the shadows
Progressant à travers les ombres
The promised hour was near
L'heure promise était proche

Lights were holding steady
Les lumières étaient constantes
Gliding over the foam
Glissant sur l'écume
All the lords and ladies
Tous les messieurs et les dames
Heading for their eternal home
Se dirigeant vers leur demeure éternelle

The chandeliers were swaying
Les lustres se balançaient
From the balustrades above
De la balustrade au-dessus
The orchestra was playing
L'orchestre jouait
Songs of faded love
Des chansons d'amour qui s'est éteint

The watchman, he lay dreaming
La sentinelle, s'était couchée pour rêver
As the ballroom dancers twirled
Alors que les danseurs tournoyaient
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Il rêva que le Titanic sombrait
Into the underworld
Vers un monde inconnu

Leo took his sketchbook
Leo prit son carnet de croquis
He was often so inclined
Il était si souvent inspiré
He closed his eyes and painted
Il ferma les yeux et peignit
The scenery in his mind
La scène dans son esprit

Cupid struck his bosom
Cupidon frappa sa poitrine
And broke it with a snap
Et la brisa en un clin d'oeil
The closest woman to him
La femme la plus proche de lui
He fell into her lap
Il tomba sur ses genoux

He heard a loud commotion
Il entendit un vacarme bruyant
Something sounded wrong
Quelque chose clochait
His inner spirit was saying
Son intuition disait
That he couldn't stand here long
Qu'il ne pourrait pas rester là très longtemps

He staggered to the quarterdeck
Il chancela jusqu'au pont arrière
No time now to sleep
Plus le temps maintenant de dormir
Water on the quarterdeck
L'eau sur le pont arrière
Already three foot deep
Déjà trois pieds de profondeur

Smokestack was leaning sideways
La cheminée penchait sur le côté
Heavy feet began to pound
Les pieds lourds commençaient à marteler
He walked into the whirlwind
Il entra dans le tourbillon
Sky splitting all around
Le ciel se fendait tout autour

The ship was going under
La bateau coulait
The universe had opened wide
L'univers largement ouvert
The roll was called up yonder
Le roulis avait appelé là-bas
The angels turned aside
Les anges se détournaient

Lights down in the hallway
Les lumières baissaient dans le couloir
Flickering dim and dull
Un scintillement sombre et terne
Dead bodies already floating
Des corps inertes flottaient déjà
In the double bottom hull
Dans la coque à double fond

The engines then exploded
Les moteurs ensuite explosèrent
Propellers they failed to start
Les hélices ne réussirent pas à démarrer
The boilers overloaded
Les chaudières surchargées
The ship's bow split apart
La proue du navire se fendit
Passengers were flying
Les passagers flottaient
Backward, forward, far and fast
À l'arrière, à l'avant, loin et vite
They mumbled, fumbled, and tumbled
Ils marmonnaient, tatonnaient et dégringolaient
Each one more weary than the last
Chacun d'eux plus las que le dernier

The veil was torn asunder
La voile se déchira
'Tween the hours of twelve and one
Entre midi et une heure
No change, no sudden wonder
Pas de changement, pas de miracle soudain
Could undo what had been done
N'auraient pu défaire ce qui avait été fait

The watchman lay there dreaming
La sentinelle était allongée là, à rêver
At forty five degrees
À quarante cinq degrés
He dreamed that the Titanic was sinking
Il rêvait que le Titanic sombrait
Dropping to her knees
En tombant à ses genoux

Wellington he was sleeping
Wellington, il dormait
His bed began to slide
Son lit commença à glisser
His valiant heart was beating
Son coeur vaillant battait
He pushed the tables aside
Il poussa les tables de côté

Glass of shattered crystal
Des verres de cristal brisés
Lay scattered roundabout
Étaient éparpillés tout autour
He strapped on both his pistols
Il attacha ses deux pistolets
How long could he hold out
Combien de temps pourrait-il tenir

His men and his companions
Ses hommes et ses compagnons
Were nowhere to be seen
N'étaient pas en vue
In silence there he waited for
Dans le silence il attendit
Time and space to intervene
Que le temps et l'espace interviennent

The passageway was narrow
Le passage était étroit
There was blackness in the air
Il y avait de la noirceur dans l'air
He saw every kind of sorrow
Il vit tous les types de douleur
Heard voices everywhere
Entendit des voix partout

Alarm-bells were ringing
Le tocsin sonnait
To hold back the swelling tide
A cause de la marée montante
Friends and lovers clinging
Amis et amants accrochés
To each other side by side
Les uns aux autres, côte à côte

Mothers and their daughters
Les mères et leurs filles
Descending down the stairs
Descendant les escaliers
Jumped into the icy waters
Sautant dans les eaux glacées
Love and pity sent their prayers
L'amour et la pitié adressés dans leurs prières

The rich man, Mister Astor
L'homme riche, Monsieur Astor
Kissed his darling wife
Embrassa sa femme chérie
He had no way of knowing
Il n'avait aucun moyen de savoir
It'd be the last trip of his life
Que ce serait le dernier voyage de sa vie

Calvin, Blake and Wilson
Calvin, Blake et Wilson
Gambled in the dark
Misaient dans l'obscurité
Not one of them would ever live to
Aucun d'entre eux n'aura jamais vécu pour
Tell the tale on the disembark
Raconter l'histoire du débarquement

Brother rose up 'gainst brother
Le frère se lèvait contre le frère
In every circumstance
En toute circonstance
They fought and slaughtered each other
Ils se sont battus et abattus les uns les autres
In a deadly dance
Dans une danse funébre

They lowered down the lifeboats
Ils abaissèrent les canots de sauvetage
From the sinking wreck
De l'épave qui coulait
There were traitors, there were turncoats
Il y avait des traîtres, il y avait des renégats
Broken backs and broken necks
Des dos brisés et des nez cassés

The bishop left his cabin
L'évèque quitta sa cabine
To help others in need
Pour aider ceux dans le besoin
Turned his eyes up to the heavens
Il leva les yeux vers le ciel
Said, "The poor are yours to feed"
Et dit: " les pauvres sont là pour te nourrir"

Davey the brothel-keeper
Davey le tenancier de bordel
Came out dismissed his girls
Sortit en congédiant ses filles
Saw the water getting deeper
Il vit l'eau devenir plus profonde
Saw the changing of his world
Il vit son monde changer

Jim Dandy smiled
Jim Dandy souria
He never learned to swim
Il n'avait jamais appris à nager
Saw the little crippled child
Il vit un enfant handicapé
And he gave his seat to him
Et lui donna son siège

He saw the starlight shining
Il vit la brillante lumière des étoiles
Streaming from the East
Se diffuser à l'est
Death was on the rampage
La mort se déchainait
But his heart was now at peace
Mais maintenant son coeur était en paix

They battened down the hatches
Ils fermèrent hermétiquement les écoutilles
But the hatches wouldn't hold
Mais les écoutilles ne tenaient pas
They drowned upon the staircase
Ils se noyérent sous l'escalier
Of brass and polished gold
De laiton et d'or poli

Leo said to Cleo
Leo dit à Cléo
I think I'm going mad
Je pense que je deviens fou
But he'd lost his mind already
Mais il avait déjà perdu l'esprit
Whatever mind he had
Quelque soit la pensée qu'il avait

He tried to block the doorway
Il essaya de bloquer la porte
To save all those from harm
Pour protéger tout le monde du danger
Blood from an open wound
Le sang d'une plaie ouverte
Pouring down his arm
Dégoulinait de son bras

Petals fell from flowers
Les pétales tombaient des fleurs
'Til all of them were gone
Jusqu'à ce que tous soient tombés
In the long and dreadful hours
Durant les longues et terribles heures
The wizard's curse played on
Où la malédiction du sorcier se jouait

The host was pouring brandy
Le maitre de séant versait le brandy
He was going down slow
Il descendait doucement
He stayed right to the end and he
Il resta jusqu'à la fin et il
Was the last to go
Fût le dernier à partir

There were many, many others
Il y eut beaucoup, beaucoup d'autres
Nameless here forever more
Qu'ici on ne nommera jamais plus
They never sailed the ocean
Ils n'avaient jamais navigué sur l'océan
Or left their homes before
Ou quitté leur maison avant

The watchman, he lay dreaming
La sentinelle, s'était couchée pour rêver
The damage had been done
Le mal avait été fait
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Il rêvait que le Titanic sombrait
And he tried to tell someone
Et qu'il essayait de le dire à quelqu'un

The captain, barely breathing
Le capitaine, respirant à peine
Kneeling at the wheel
Agenouillé au gouvernail
Above him and beneath him
Au-dessus de lui et sous lui
Fifty thousand tons of steel
Cinquante mille tonnes d'acier

He looked over at his compass
Il examina son compas
And he gazed into its face
Et le regarda en face
Needle pointing downward
L'aiguille pointée vers le bas
He knew he'd lost the race
Il savait qu'il avait perdu la course

In the dark illumination
Dans la pénombre
He remembered bygone years
Il se souvint des années passées
He read the Book of Revelation
Il lut le livre de l'Apocalypse
And he filled his cup with tears
Et emplit sa tasse de larmes

When the Reaper's task had ended
Lorsque la tâche du Faucheur prit fin
Sixteen hundred had gone to rest
Seize cent étaient allés se reposer
The good, the bad, the rich, the poor
Le bon, le mauvais, le riche, le pauvre
The loveliest and the best
Les plus beaux et les meilleurs

They waited at the landing
Ils attendirent l'amerrissage
And they tried to understand
Et essayèrent de comprendre
But there is no understanding
Mais il n'y avait rien à comprendre
On the judgment of God's hand
Sur le jugement de la main de Dieu

The news came over the wires
Les nouvelles vinrent par les câbles
And struck with deadly force
Et frappèrent d'une force meurtrière
Love had lost its fires
L'amour avait perdu ses feux
All things had run their course
Toutes les choses avaient suivi leur cours

The watchman, he lay dreaming
La sentinelle, s'était couchée pour rêver
Of all the things that can be
De toutes les choses qu'il peut y avoir
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Il rêvait que le Titanic sombrait
Into the deep blue sea
Dans la mer d'un bleu profond