Sung by the great madame herself – Edith Piaf – Non, je ne regrette rien (No, I regret nothing) is… vocally and lyrically a knockout.
At not even 5′, Edith was nicknamed “La Môme Piaf” (the little sparrow) – which morphed into her famous moniker.
Here’s one angry, tragic and passionate woman – with good reason! Abandoned by her mother and father, brought up in a brothel til the age of six, then re-claimed to work as a busker alongside her father travelling around France… her talent was obvious. She lost her only child to meningitis. Her singing career was dogged by those that wanted to take advantage of her.
Edith kinda lived fast and died young before it was ever fashionable to do so…
An English translation of Non, je ne regrette rien is as follows:
No, nothing at all
No, I regret nothing
Neither the good things
Nor the bad, they are the same to me
No, nothing at all
No, I regret nothing
It’s been paid for
Swept away, forgotten
I don’t give a damn about the past
My memories
I have burnt my memories
My sorrows, my pleasures
I don’t need them anymore
Swept away the love affairs
And all their tremblings
Swept away forever
I start anew
No, nothing at all
No, I regret nothing at all
Neither the good
Nor the bad, they are all the same to me
No, nothing at all
No, I regret nothing at all
For my life, for my joys
Today
They start with you
Now, this could be interpreted as a love song to another – but I like it better when thinking of it sung to oneself…
There’s some very kinda yogic stuff in there – expressing no preference for the good or the bad (its all the same), the past not being related to this moment (just a discontinuous moment-to-moment existence that appears to be linear)…
Its all about right here, right now. A transformation. A change sweeping through. A revelation. New beginnings.
How I wish I could take these words and make them my reality right now!
To have no regrets at all, not one (I’m working on it)… to see the world through fresh eyes with a heart that’s known no sorrow. Or… that none of it matters any longer. No regrets…
Now that’s something worth both living and dying for.
Oh, and happy birthday, Madame Sparrow… you woulda been 93 today (same age as my grandma), if you’d stuck around…
And now, a public service announcement:
Those who know stories
Within stories
Listen up!
Whispers thusly concealed
Must remain
Shine no light on them…
~Svasti
Svasti: A Journey From Assault To Wholeness 
A note to readers of this blog: what Svasti is too humble to mention here, is that today is not just Edith Piaf’s 93rd birthday. It’s also the 37th birthday of……………………… SVASTI HER MOST LOVELY SELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
You look like a monkey
And you smell like one, too…..
Seriously…happy birthday, Svasti!
Happy Birthday Svasti! I hope that you have an amazing and truly blessed birthday!
A wonderful post, I love the song by Madame Sparrow, it is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this, I really needed to hear it. Too often I am wracked with guilt over my mistakes and regrets. This is a fantabulous outlook on life.
All the Best,
Jane
@Dr Jay, you KNOW very well who that public service announcement was aimed at. You’ll keep! 😉
@Jane Doe – glad you like the post. It really is an amazing message I think!
Hey, would you mind if I added your blog to my blogroll?
@Jane Doe – go for broke, that would be lovely 🙂
Hey Svasti, birthday or no, a lovely tribute…and ah,yes, no regrets…it’s something to work on (for me, yes!)….we are both solstice kids, born during the darkest days…. knowing that, I feel even more connected with you…though I’ve got a few years on you, kid ;-).
! I hope your year is filled with beauty, wisdom and abundance. Thanks for the post.
Happy Birthday, Svasti!!
You’re a Sag!! Good things happen to you guys.
May you have an awesome birthday, and there are no regrets, just spices that flavour life.
(I had my 37th in Darjeeling … had dinner with a Buddhist nun who bought me a brithday cake.)
Lotsa lov
Amanda
Apparently I suck at being gracious and accepting other people’s good wishes for my b’day… 😦
And, birthdays are just another thing that I haven’t been overjoyed about since well… for a few years now.
So… thanks folks. Really. For being so nice despite my rude inability to just… say thanks… and, I regret that I suck!! 😉
Happy Birthday, Svasti! I must say I’m like that about birthdays too. They just kind of happen and I’m better with it that way most of the time.
I adore Edith Piaf. I had a French friend who was a jazz singer before WWII. She taught me to love the classics. There’s just something awesome in that beauty – revelatory, for sure.
I love this post, Svasti.
I haven’t heard Edith Piaf before and I’m so glad you introduced her.
It’s a powerful song, especially knowing some of her background.
I struggle with forgiving myself for stupid crap I’ve done and love it when I meet people who really live without regrets. They are few. But it’s so empowering to watch them.
This is what I want for my daughters. Yep, they’re going to screw up at times, but it seems to me that the most damaging thing about messing up is how you tear at yourself for doing it.
(I am happy for your day! Peace.)
@CK – glad to hear you get the whole ‘anti-birthday’ thing. I never used to be that way. But depression sucks alot of fun outta things…
Edith is a rockin’ woman. Full stop.
@lucybar – thanks for droppin’ in on my blog and I’m glad you liked the song. Edith was amazing.
Even today, I’m dealing with regrets, lots of them… and its good to take stock and try to see the bigger picture whenever we can!
I agree with your statement – its very much how well we nuture ourselves or not, that has an impact on how life goes for us.
Peace to you as well!
Ahhh … Piaf!
That song has a special place in my heart … It was, shall we say, the theme song of a particular *affaire de coeur* that I had once in my life … *et non, je ne regrette rien* … 😉
Thanks, Svasti … and happy belated birthday! xo
Jaliya
@Jaliya – ah, do tell! If you decide to write about this affair ever, please let me know. I’d love to read about it. 😉
Thanks Jaliya for your b’day wishes.