Thursday, December 04, 2008

A very old postcard and a joke




I couldn’t resist putting this one up for you to see. It was posted in November 1898. You can just see that even 110 years ago children enjoyed digging holes in the sand! Royan is still a popular seaside town, rebuilt after the second world war and today there is concern that the ‘new’ concrete cathedral is crumbling.

What is written on the front? A joke :

« Pourquoi le Rossignol ne chante-t’il plus lorsqu’il est en cage?
C’est qu’il a perdu la clé des champs (des chants) »

“Why doesn’t the nightingale sing when he’s inside a cage?
Because he has lost the key of the fields (songs)". Doesn’t really work in English, does it?

6 comments:

Tawnya Shields said...

I didn't get the joke but I like the card. :o)

Yes, kids will always be kids. I love the beach. Especially making strange things out of sand. Ever been to one of those sand sculpture contests? They are so awesome to see.

Voegtli said...

No, it does not work in English but in French, of course, it is a beautiful game with words. Or, in German, a "Spiel mit Wörtern".

alan said...

So many beautiful places in this world I fear I'll never see!

Thank you for sharing some with me!

alan

Anonymous said...

french is a lovely language :]
and that is a great looking postcard

cube said...

Yes, it loses something in the translation. Thanks for sharing it anyway.

Anji said...

Titania: It just doesn't work in English. We had some sculptures on the beach at La Rochelle. There was an enormous dragon and the artist had placed candles in its nostrils - very striking as it was growing dark.

Peter: As you speak three (or more) languages, you can appreciate more jeux de mots than most people

Alan: Perhaps the grand tour of Europe will be on the cards for you in 2009. Looking forward to seeing you.

Jes: Thank you - and thank you for your visit!

Cube: it's good to see you again.