Brève 8 : The man of Picadilly

Depuis les Etats-Unis (Troy, Mi), je publie ce texte qui date d'un voyage à Londres, la City. Une nouvelle brève, effectivement brève mais pas si nouvelle... elle a toutefois la caractéristique d'être bilingue.

Du titre original “L’homme de Picadilly », j’ai pensé qu’il valait mieux le traduire. Ca me fait sourire, tant on pourrait substituer Picadilly à Picardie après tout ce temps... Pour le reste le texte est là, rempli d’émotions à la limité de la naïveté juvénile, et pourtant il me plaît toujours tant ce souvenir de Londres contraste avec les réalités parisiennes.


That evening I came out from a games center in Picadilly Circus. The premises were common with the Tower of Records and the MGM cinema rooms, where a lot of Dinosaurs attracted the mass.

I had spent more than £7 and the terrible noise put me out of the place. I wanted fresh air, but in front of the way out there was another mass walking through the electric Circus.
(Music : Welcome to the Jungle –Guns’n’Roses- and Welcome into the Electric Circus – Wasp-)

I had spent time, money, physical power, etc. but won nothing. A sort of disaster !

I saw a man juggling with 5 balls. He was looking –nice-. When I arrived in front of him, one ball fell, then another one.
The boy who was abut 25 looked at me as if it had been just a little mistake in his arms movements but went on juggling and making tricks with 3 balls. In the same time, I swiped myself at the side feeling I was the reason why the “accident” happened.

Thinking 30 seconds long, I decided to give him money – I gave him 50 p. He became little and little and said “Thank you very much…”.

His self control had been decreasing in 2 seconds, the time I added 50 p. to the ca. 15 p. his hat contained.
I was proud.
I was happy.
I was thinking about him.
I was proud.
Maybe this man was begging the first time in his life, maybe his day had been catastrophic, maybe he thought about me. Maybe he hated me, maybe he’ll remember.
I will.
I was proud for the happiness I could give this man of Picadilly.

MFS, T14, 20-07-93

Donc, ce texte est issu de mon séjour linguistique à Londres en 1993 et était pour moi l’occasion de pratiquer un peu suite à une scène de vie qui m’avait marquée. La ville de Londres avait ces côtés lourds des grandes villes en ébullition et ce moment simple de relation humaine isolée était celui que j’avais choisi.
Il est basé sur le temps, l’argent, le mouvement et l’émotion qui se combinent en un souvenir de jeune homme.

Ciao
MfS