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2. "passereaux" / "sparrows" In ornithology, "passeraux" in English would be "passerines" which is the biggest order of birds, comprising about half of all bird species! However, the TLFi states that "passereau" can be a synonym for "moineau," or "sparrow." So I think Hapgood is correct in that translation and we can narrow down the species a bit. The only sparrow that is seen in the Luxembourg Gardens at any time of year is the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus).

3. "pique-bois" / "woodpeckers" Finally a straight-forward translation! According to eBird data, there are two species of woodpeckers seen in the Luxembourg Gardens. The only one seen at the correct time of year is the Eurasian Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis) (pictured), although the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor) has been seen just a little earlier in the year.

4. "les hirondelles" / "the swallows" A species I know quite a lot about! This is undoubtedly referring to the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), which I had the privilege of studying for a few years to research their movement patterns. The line in the text is so wonderful and shows that Hugo has definitely watched these graceful birds before, as he captured the nature in which they glide and skim with speed near the ground, foraging for flying insects: “the swallows indulged in the charming threat of flying low.”

5. "le ramier" / "ring-dove" I believe this is pretty straight-forwardly referring to the Common Wood-Pigeon (Columba palumbus) which is the most commonly seen bird overall in the gardens in early June!

6. "le pinson" / "chaffinch" According to wikipedia, the term "pinson" is another common-name term given to multiple species of grain-eating passerines, however, there are two "true" pinson species, one of which is seen in the Luxembourg Gardens at this time: the Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs).

7. "le chardonneret" / "goldfinch" We're once again dealing with an ambiguous term here for birds in the family Fringillidae. Unfortunately, the birds that have "Chardonneret" in their common name do not appear on any eBird lists for the Luxembourg Gardens. The only other Fringillidae species that are recorded in the gardens (besides the Common Chaffinch) are the European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris) and the European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis). While neither have been seen in early June, the European Greenfinch is seen more commonly. However, I think this could be a toss up.

8. "le rouge-gorge" / "red-breast" This one is pretty straightforward, "le Rouge-gorge familier" is none other than the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) (aka extreme borb).

9. "le verdier" / "the green finch" We've already discussed all of the finches that have been documented in the Luxembourg Gardens, and since "verdier" refers to birds in the genus Chloris, this last bird mention is again talking about our friend the European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris).

Gavroche Cette fois, Javert, t’arrêteras plus personne La mort t’a coffré à perpétuité J’espère qu’là-haut, on s’ra pas dans l’même cachot Sur terre déjà, on n’était pas du même combat¹

Gavroche This time, Javert, you’ll no longer be arresting anyone Death has locked you up for good I hope up there, we won’t be in the same dungeon On earth already, we weren’t in the same fight¹

NOTES 1. “du même combat” literally means “of the same fight” but I believe this is using “même combat!” which is an expression of solidarity meaning “we’re on the same side.” I kept the translation in the lyrics more literal since “to be in the same fight” in English can also convey the idea of solidarity.

Courfeyrac Sacré Gavroche, t’as toujours l’mot pour rire² C’est pas la parlotte³ qui te f’ra guérir Marius Ah les salauds, ils ont tiré sur un enfant Ils ont, sans savoir, abattu le printemps Quel dieu cruel s’abreuve du sang des innocents Et combien faudra-t-il pleurer d’combattants?

Courfeyrac Blasted Gavroche, you always have something funny to say² It’s not the gift of the gab³ that will heal you Marius Ah the bastards, they’ve shot at a kid They have, without knowing, shot down spring What cruel god drinks the blood of innocents And how many fighters will we have to cry over?

NOTES 2. “avoir le mot pour rire” is an expression that literally means “always have the word for laughing / a laugh” and is translated as “to make jokes, be funny.”

3. “la parlotte” means “chitchat, chatter, chinwag, talking shop, etc.” I decided to translate it as “the gift of the gab” because that felt like a more appropriate term given the previous line which implies that Gavroche is good at always making jokes.

Gavroche Notre drapeau était par terre Rouge de honte et bleu sali Moi, j’ai bondi blanc⁴ de colère “Allons, enfants de la patrie”⁵

Gavroche Our flag was on the ground Red with shame and dirtied blue Me, I leapt up, white⁴ with anger “Allons, enfants de la patrie”⁵

NOTES 4. “Rouge de honte … blanc de colère” This sequence uses expressions that incorporate the colors of the French flag (blue, white, red). “Rouge de honte” means “red with shame,” as in “blushing with shame” or a “flush of shame” but can also simply be translated as “ashamed.” I haven’t been able to figure out if “bleu sali” is an expression or is simply referring to the dirtied blue of the flag on the ground. “Blanc de colère” is, as in English, “white with anger.”

5. “Allons, enfants de la patrie!” is a reference to the first line of the Marseillaise, the national anthem of France. It means “Let’s go, children of the fatherland/motherland!”

Un mec m’a vu, qui m’a crié : “Qui vive!”⁶ J’ai dit : "Révolution française" Ça lui a pas plu ma franchise M’a mis un pruneau⁷ dans la fraise⁸ C’est comme ça, on gagne pas à chaque fois

A guy saw me, shouted at me “Who lives?”⁶ I said : “The French revolution” That didn’t please him, my frankness, Put a slug⁷ in my face⁸ It’s like that, you don’t win every time

NOTES 6. “Qui vive!” is an expression that literally means “who lives?” but is translated as “who goes there?” Just like the English expression, it has same the context of someone on watch or in a military environment asking an unknown person to identify themselves. However, I chose to keep the literal translation in the lyrics because it ties the pun in the response together. The response is “Révolution française (the French Revolution),” because a common refrain is “Vive la revolution française!” literally, “Live the French revolution!”

7. “pruneau” is argot (slang). The word “pruneau” means “prune” but it was used as slang for a bullet.

8. “fraise” is another argot word. This time the word for “strawberry” means “face / mug.”

Donnez, donnez⁹, ma casquette aux copains C’est tout c’que j’ai et j’en n’ai plus besoin Je suis tombé par terre, C’est la faute à Voltaire¹⁰ Le nez dans le ruisseau, C’est la faute à...

Give, give⁹, my cap to my friends It’s all I have, and I don’t need it anymore I fell to the ground It’s the fault of Voltaire¹⁰ Nose in the gutter, It’s the fault of…

NOTES 9. “Donnez, donnez” is a callback to the refrain used in Gavroche’s introductory song on the Original Concept Album (the equivalent of Look Down).

10. “C’est la faute à Voltaire” – I would have preferred to translate these lines as “It’s Voltaire’s/Rousseau’s fault” but I kept the French wording of “It’s the fault of Voltaire/Rousseau” so that the final line cuts off in the same manner.