Le content est riche en ce monde
Et bien heureux en ce temps ci.
À cœur joyeux, liberté, monde,
vivre chez soi hors de souci.
Être amoureux non point transi.
Et à tout deuil clore les yeux.
Toujours gaillards, faites ainsi
Et vous vivrez cent ans et mieux.
English translation
Contented men are rich on Earth
And happy each and ev’ry day.
With joyous hearts, freedom, and worth,
Living at home, all cares at bay.
Love brings them not the least dismay;
They close their eyes to all life’s fears.
Always, ye gallants, be that way,
You’ll live at least a hundred years.
(prose version)
He is richest who is content on Earth
and happy in the present time,
carefree, at liberty, living in the right way and always untroubled.
If you can be in love without letting it obsess you,
if you can ignore every affliction and always be light-hearted,
you may live for a hundred years or more.
French text
English translation