Les Voisins [English translation]

They lived in two separate worlds

They were neighbours

Each one of them quietly tucked away

On his end of the landing

There are so many dishonest people

That it’s best to be worried

They dreamed nearly every night

That they would have friends

They exchanged words coolly

In the same elevator

They ran to fasten as fast as they could

Their forty locks

Then they went to sleep in the nets

Of a TV set

While dreaming nearly every night

That they would have friends

They had read their names on the back of the letter box

They thought that this was quite enough socialising

However they felt each other smile

And even heard each other sleep

But they never met

They moved out

They lived in two separate worlds

They were neighbours

But each to his own side of the partition

And each to his own TV series

They closed the shutters to their heart

At ten o’clock every evening.

While dreaming nearly every night

That they would have friends

They had read their names on the back of the letter box

They thought that this was quite enough to know about each other

However they felt each other smile

And even heard each other sleep

But they never met

Because they said to themselves:

It’s not worth the trouble of going to talk to them

When one has the telly

It’s not worth the trouble of searching for words

When one has the radio

It’s not worth the trouble of making an effort

When one has the newspaper