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Sunday, 16 May 1875 (continued)
There, right opposite the carriage, are all the young bloods1 of Nice — Girofla among them, all rosy. I do not look at him. We see my aunt home and return; the Durands arrive and draw up beside us.Dimanche 16 mai 1875 (suite)
Lucie, just back from Rome, speaks to me; we exchange a few words, and as the concert ends, I tell the coachman to move on.
Lucie qui revient de Rome, me parle, nous échangeons quelques phrases et, comme la musique finit, je dis au cocher de bouger.
There is that famous Girofla again — who represents, for the moment, my sole diversion; an agreeable diversion in any case.
On voit encore ce fameux Girofla qui représente pour le moment mon unique distraction, distraction agréable dans tous les cas.
Does he know of our escapade yesterday? That is what I should dearly like to know. I laugh and amuse myself — as befits the queen I am.
Sait-il notre escapade d’hier ? Voilà ce que je tiendrais à savoir. Je ris et m’amuse comme une reine que je suis.
And in the evening we go to the theatre, where I lose some of my gaiety — for Girofla is not there.
Et le soir nous allons au théâtre où je laisse une partie de ma gaieté car Girofla n’y est pas.
He amuses me — and yet I do not love him; no, not at all.
Il m’amuse et pourtant je ne l’aime pas, mais là, pas du tout.
This little man enrages me because — as I was saying this morning at breakfast — I know myself to be beautiful, tall, well-made; and I see this little Niçois, this earthworm, who — even he — does not fall in love with me.
Il me met en colère ce petit parce que, comme je disais ce matin à déjeuner, je me sais belle, grande, bien faite et je vois ce petit Niçois, ce vermisseau de terre, qui, même lui, ne devient pas amoureux de moi.
That is what enrages me! O my God — deign to lower Yourself to my lowliness, and make him fall in love, so that I may torment him a little. It will not kill him — and it will make me live!
Voilà ce qui me met en colère ! O mon Dieu, daignez Vous abaisser jusqu’à ma bassesse et rendez-le amoureux pour que je puisse le tourmenter un peu. Cela ne le fera pas mourir, et cela me fera vivre !
Notes
Jeunes lions — “young lions”: fashionable young men about town, dandies. The French expression had roughly the force of the English “young blades.” ↩