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Lyrics to La Habanera from Carmen

In French with English Translation

By J. E. Pérez

La Habanera is the famous aria sung by Carmen in Act 1 of the opera Carmen, by Georges Bizet. The song is Carmen's testament to the fickleness of love. The story of Bizet's Carmen is based on Part 3 of the novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée. Mérimée's novella, in turn, is based on Alexandr Pushkin's narrative poem The Gypsies.

The opera takes place in Seville, Spain. The main character is a gypsy woman named Carmen who falls in love with a soldier named José, though José is betrothed to peasant girl. Soon after singing the famous aria, Carmen is arrested for cutting another woman's face during a fight. Because José has also fallen in love, he helps her escape from jail. Later, José gets into a fight with his commanding officer and is forced to flee into the mountains with Carmen and a group of bandit smugglers. It is in hiding that Carmen tells José that she is no longer in love with him, but now loves a young bull fighter named Escamillo. Frustrated by the fickleness of Carmen's love, and all that he sacrificed to be with her, José kills Carmen several days later during Escamillo's bull fight.

Lyrics to La Habanera in French with English Translation
Quand je vous aimerai?
Ma foi, je ne sais pas,
Peut-être jamais, peut-être demain.
Mais pas aujourd'hui, c'est certain.

L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
que nul ne peut apprivoiser,
et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle,
s'il lui convient de refuser.
Rien n'y fait, menace ou prière.
L'un parle bien, l'autre se tait.
Et c'est l'autre que je préfère,
il n'a rien dit mais il me plaît.

L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour!

L'amour est enfant de bohème;
il n'a jamais, jamais, connu de loi.
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime,
et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Prends garde à toi!
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime!
Prends garde à toi!
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!

L'amour est enfant de bohème;
il n'a jamais, jamais, connu de loi.
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime,
et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Prends garde à toi!
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime!
Prends garde à toi!
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!

L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre
battit de l'aile et s'envola.
L'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre;
tu ne l'attends plus, il est là!
Tout autour de toi, vite, vite,
il vient, s'en va, puis il revient,
tu crois le tenir, il t'évite,
tu crois l'éviter, il te tient.

L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour!

L'amour est enfant de bohème;
il n'a jamais, jamais, connu de loi.
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime,
et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Prends garde à toi!
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime!
Prends garde à toi!
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!

L'amour est enfant de bohème;
il n'a jamais, jamais, connu de loi.
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime,
et si je t'aime, prends garde à toi!
Prends garde à toi!
Si tu ne m'aimes pas, si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime!
Prends garde à toi!
Mais si je t'aime, si je t'aime, prends garde à toi! 		When will I love you?
My Lord, I don't know.
Maybe never, maybe tomorrow.
But not today, that's for sure.

Love is a rebellious bird
that no one can tame,
and you call him quite in vain
if it suits him not to come.
Nothing helps, neither threat nor prayer.
One man talks well, the other keeps quiet.
It's the other one that I prefer,
he's said nothing, but I like him.

Love! Love! Love! Love!

Love is a gypsy child;
he has never, ever, known the law.
If you love me not, then I love you;
and if I love you, you better watch out!
You better watch out!
If you love me not, if you love me not, then I love you!
You better watch out!
But if I love you, if I love you, you better watch out!

Love is a gypsy child;
he has never, ever, known the law.
If you love me not, then I love you;
and if I love you, you better watch out!
You better watch out!
If you love me not, if you love me not, then I love you!
You better watch out!
But if I love you, if I love you, you better watch out!

The bird you thought you had caught
beat its wings and flew away.
Love stays away, you can wait for it;
when you stop waiting, there it is!
All around you, swift, swift,
it comes, goes, then it returns,
you think you hold it fast, it flees,
you think you're free, it holds you fast.

Love! Love! Love! Love!

Love is a gypsy child;
he has never, ever, known the law.
If you love me not, then I love you;
and if I love you, you better watch out!
You better watch out!
If you love me not, if you love me not, then I love you!
You better watch out!
But if I love you, if I love you, you better watch out!

Love is a gypsy child;
he has never, ever, known the law.
If you love me not, then I love you;
and if I love you, you better watch out!
You better watch out!
If you love me not, if you love me not, then I love you!
You better watch out!
But if I love you, if I love you, you better watch out!

© Had2Know 2010