Comme un bel oiseau, by Diane Dufresne
Notes and translations by Matthew and Pascale Shaftel
Supporting
Materials
The Canadian constitution finally came home from Britain in 1981. It was to be ratified individually by the provinces, but it did not provide Qubec with the broad powers it demanded, so the province refused to ratify the constitution. In November 1981, during the so-called night of the long knives, Pierre Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, made a constitutional deal with nine anglophone provinces without consulting the politicians from Qubec. The result was a constitution that has yet to be ratified by Qubec. The Meech Lake Accords were later developed in order to grant Qubec special status among the provinces and bring them into the constitution, but in June 1990, sabotaged by various political forces, the measure was defeated. The fervor leading up to this moment included political demonstrations throughout Canada, including one incident in Ontario that saw anglophone extremists stepping and spitting on the Qubec flag.
The colorful and creative artiste, Diane Dufresne, wrote the
song Comme un bel oiseau virtually
overnight for the Qubec National Holiday on June 24, 1990 (Saint-John-the Baptist
Day), the day after the failure of the Meech Lake Accords. The song was sung as
part of a huge demonstration on the Plaines dAbraham, where, incidentally, in
1759 the British Army finally defeated the French to take Qubec. The materials
that link to this song include newspaper articles, television news reports, and
essays describing the constitutional crisis, Meech Lake Accords, pro-and
anti-Qubec demonstrations, and the issue of sovereignty in general. In
addition, since she refers to the stepping-on-the-flag incident in her song, we
have included a history of the Qubec flag.
Comme un bel oiseau (1990)
by Diane Dufresne [1] |
Like a Beautiful Bird
|
|
Depuis l'nombre d'annes que
je veux m'sparer l'heure o tout casse, je
suis vraiment sonne[2] Quand c'tait l'temps
d'agir, on a cru au pire On a laiss faire, on est
bien avanc Faut se prendre en main
quand on perd le pieds Et je me souviens, l'as-tu
oubli[3] Je suis d'un Qubec qui
reprend ses ailes[4] Le temps est au beau pour
apprendre te quitter[5] Devant la plante qui
commence crever Tous nos mots d'amour
seront des fleurs fanes Si on a peur de tout et
qu'on veut rien changer(.) mon beau sapin, j'pourrai
pus t'dcorer C'qui faudrait savoir c'est
que notre histoire N'a plus rien voir avec
le pass Je suis d'un Qubec qui
reprend ses ailes Le temps est au beau pour
apprendre s'envoler Comment prendre un geste
cruel et sans noblesse(?) Ne mets plus jamais les
pieds sur mon drapeau[6] Il faut bien qu'tu saches
que j'suis pas faite de glace[7] Et j'fais la promesse que
t'auras pas ma peau Faites pas trop d'histoires
j'ai ben d'la mmoire[8] Et notre heure de gloire va
bientt sonner[9] Je suis d'un Qubec qui
reprend ses ailes Le temps est pass de
dormir sur ses lauriers Il y a tant faire et la
mort d'un roi Mrite de refaire un monde
bien soi Y'as pas d'date limite pour
la libert Mais encore faut-il l'avoir
mrite(?) Je suis d'un Qubec qui
reprend ses ailes[10] La route est trace, y'a
plus rien pour m'arrter Pour aller plus loin que le
bout d'son nez Et
juste assez haut comme un bel oiseau |
So many years since I've wanted to separate, At the moment when
everything breaks off, I am really staggered When it was time to act, we
believed in the worst. We let them have their way,
and we sure have advanced (ironic). We must get a hold of
ourselves when we loose our footing, And I rememberdid you
forget it? I am from a Qubec who
takes back its wings The time is good to learn
how to leave you. In front of this planet
that is beginning to burst/starve, All our words of love will
be faded flowers If we are afraid of
everything and want to change nothing. O my beautiful Christmas tree, I won't be able to decorate you again What one must know is that
our history No longer is linked with
the past. I am from a Qubec who takes back its wings The time is good to learn
how to fly away. How to take a gesture that
is cruel and without nobility? Don't ever put your feet on
my flag again! You must know that I am not
made out of ice And I promise that you
won't have my skin. Don't tell too many
stories, I have a plenty good memory And our hour of glory will
soon toll. I am from a Qubec who takes back its wings The time for resting on our
laurels is over. There is so much to do and
the death of a king Makes it worthwhile to
remake a world that is truly ones own. There is no deadline for
liberty But again, must we deserve
it? I am from a Qubec who
takes back its wings The path is already traced,
there is no longer anything to stop me, For going beyond the tip of
ones nose, And
just high enough, like a beautiful bird. |