Concurrence Déloyale Il y'a péril en la demeure, | Unfair Competition There is danger brewing at home, Ever since the women of good morals, These spoilsports, Jealous of Manon Lescaut, Came to distribute their legs Hastily. They remove the guy from on top of The good, decent prostitute They take her place. From the mouth of the poor whore They remove the piece of bread, It’s disgusting. In truth, I tell you, There are more than there are apples In Normandy. Saint Madeleine, protect us, The profession of women no longer feeds Their men. There are these little girls of misfortune These kids who, still sucking their Little girl thumbs, Give themselves to adult diversions And, with payment, Dress their layettes. There are these high-quality, older, pretentious women These bedbugs that infest tea rooms, Who prostrate themselves, Who, in order to re-gild their coats-of-arms, Come to hang their minks By the lantern. There are those little, hypocritical bourgeoise women Who, with the agreement of their cuckolded men, Their notary clerks, Sell their bodies at discount Their charms that still herald the arrival of The potato. Then, abandoning the prostitute, The client can make his choice At his leisure, And splurge more cheaply On middle-school students, housewives And noblewomen. Add to that the fact that, nowadays, The obsession for free sex Develops, That some creatures get themselves Pushed onto their butts for free and without an ulterior motive. Oh! The bitches! They remove the guy from on top of The good, decent prostitute They take her place. From the mouth of the poor whore They remove the piece of bread, It’s disgusting. |
1 Manon Lescaut, the heroine of Puccini’s third opera of the same title, was a courtesan and, as such, had a number of wealthy lovers.
2 The region of France known for its apple production.
3 Invoking Mary Magdalene as the “patron saint” of prostitutes.
4 The older women thought that by doing so they would make themselves desirable again.
5 The “lantern” referred to is the one that was used to signify the bordello.
6 When the potato blossom appears, it is said that that’s the best time to pick new potatoes. The allusion here is that the “flower” the older woman offers is nothing special.
© English translation copyright 2012 Robert G. Uomini. All rights reserved.