A MUNCHKIN WITH HAZELNUT EYES

A munchkin with hazelnut eyes strolls sadly through the sleepy town
Feeding on lollipops and drinking rainwater.
The sun set a long time ago, the streets are empty now.
But the child is wide awake and ponders deep matters...

He would like to know the “whys” and the “hows”,
Why it is dark at night, and how the wind blows?
He is making plans for when he’ll be a man,
For when he’ll understand the “whys” and the “hows”...

He would like money, his parents have none,
But constantly talk about when there will be some.
It is undoubtedly necessary to make people happy…

He knows what he will do when he is much older:
He will change the things that make him morose.
His life will be rose, filling him with wonder!

He will spend what it takes and rent out a sun
That will shine bright at night, way up there in the sky.
It will be light at night, no need to go to bed.
He will play day and night, since it’ll be light at night.
Winters will be warm, and corn will be grown right there in the park...
He is convinced of it; these are established facts.

A munchkin with hazelnut eyes skips carefree through the sleepy town.
Gone are the lollipops and the fear of the night.

[Written in French by Agnès Armanet in May 1976, adapted in English in March 2015]