Original subtitles

When I think of it, my heart grows a bit, like a sponge,

that you plunge, in a gulf, full of sulfur,

where you suffer, of such sad sorrows that

When I think of it, my heart grows a bit, like a sponge,

that you plunge, in a gulf, full of sulfur,

where you suffer, of such sad sorrows that

When I think of it, my heart grows a bit, like a sponge,

that you plunge, in a gulf, full of sulfur,

where you suffer, of such sad sorrows that...

When does it end?

It doesn't.

Ah, it's gone bad. Go fetch me another.

On the calm black water where the stars are sleeping

white Ophelia floats like a great lily;

floats very slowly, lying in her long veils...

- In the far-off woods you can hear them sound the mort.

For over a thousand years sad Ophelia has passed,

a white phantom down the long black river.

For over a thousand years her sweet madness

has murmured its ballad to the evening breeze.

The wind kisses her breasts and unfolds in a wreath,

her large veils rising and falling with the waters;

the shivering willows weep on her shoulder.

The rushes lean over her wide, dreaming brow.

We're having rabbit?

You mustn't dawdle after school.

You soaked your feet in the fountain again.

She ran along the rooftops.

The whole wedding party ran after her. She was afraid of falling.

Last night I saw the war on TV.

- Will you tell me? - When we're alone.

I'm going to continue with a passage

from the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

Beware of false prophets

which come to you in sheep's clothing

but inwardly

they are ravening wolves.

You shall know them by their fruits.

Do men gather grapes of thorns,

or figs of thistles?

Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;

but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit

is hewn down, and cast into the flre.

Anne.

You know perfectly well.

Stop. Let's end this.

Stop the car. Let me go. I want to get out. Stop.

We need gas.

...will soon be apprehended.

The man is considered dangerous. He may be armed.

It seems he will soon be apprehended.

The man is considered dangerous. He may be armed.

It seems he will soon be apprehended.

The man is considered dangerous. He may be armed.

It seems he will soon be apprehended.

Let me kiss you.

Get off me!

Someone's there. They can see us.

When will the radio be fixed?

It's too old.

We'II have to buy another, later.

I saw the marquise yesterday, riding a beautifuI horse.

Ah, her.

How can one do such things!

She's completely crazy.

Don't drink water with soup.

And he cometh to Bethsaida;

and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town;

and when he had spit on his eyes,

and put his hands upon him,

he asked:

"Do you see anything?"

And he looked up, and said:

"I see men as trees, walking."

After that

he put his hands again upon his eyes,

and made him look up;

and he was restored,

and saw every man

clearly.

And he sent him away to his house,

saying:

"Don't you go into the village..."

Once upon a time, a queen gave birth to little twin girls.

And for the baptism...

she invited twelve fairies to give their blessings,

as was the custom at that time.

So...

Right, she didn't invite Carabosse's sister,

named Margotine.

She wasn't invited

but she came, just when everyone was sitting to eat.

So...

So she came, and they offered her an armchair

to show that she wasn't forgotten.

Because the queen was afraid that she would curse...

...her...

...her daughters.

So...

Only when...

Only she...

she knew that they had forgotten, and that they didn't want her to come.

So...

She changed all the meat on the table into fried serpent

and all the fairies ran away,

ill at ease.

So...

when everyone had gone,

Margotine cast an evil spell on the first little princess,

saying she shall be exquisitely ugly.

So...

when she's twelve years old, the little girl

is so ugly that no one can look at her.

So she asked her father and mother

if she could go away to a distant castle

so that nobody -

because in such a place nobody would miss her because she's so ugly.

At last they agreed

and the little princess left.

The night of her sister's wedding - Bellotte,

who dearly loved Laideronette -

on her sister's wedding night she went to the castle, her old home,

her mother and father's castle.

And...

And there she was poorly welcomed

because she was ugly and...

well, they weren't very happy that she came because she's so ugly

that it upset all the onlookers.

Then...

Wait.

Oh yeah. So then she left,

and...

everyone made fun of her.

Then...

She was so sad that she wanted to die.

So she went into the storm on a boat, on the sea,

and the boat smashed against some rocks.

Then she grabbed two or three...

she grabbed some wood

and went to the beach.

And she realized that she was hugging...

she was holding Green Serpent.

So she fainted.

And when she woke up she was in a castle

surrounded by little pagodas, there to serve her.

Then...

she was in her room and started to get bored and...

she...

she heard a voice

that claimed to be a prince and...

that he wanted to marry her.

So in the end the princess agrees

because the king spoke very well and he was very nice and all...

So she also invited the queen and king

- her mother and father -

to come visit.

But the king and queen were upset because she still hadn't seen...

she still hadn't seen her husband, you know,

The poor princess was a confused and disturbed that,

after sending away her family

with presents that more than made up for their purple silks and the muff riband,

she determined, happen what might, to see her husband, so she concealed a lamp

to look upon the invisible king, so dear to her heart.

But how terrible were her shrieks when,

instead of her loving prince,

gentle, fair, young, and altogether charming,

she saw hideous Green Serpent with his long bristling hair.

He awoke, transported with rage and despair :

"Oh! cruel one!" he cried, "is this the reward of my great love?"

The princess heard no more,

she swooned with fear,

and Serpent was already far away.

Hearing the tragedy, some of the pagodas rushed in.

They put the princess to bed, and assisted to restore her.

When she came to, her condition may be more easily imagined than described.

- Hello, miss. - Hello.

The door was open so we came in.

Are you still sick?

When I think of it, my heart grows a bit, like a sponge,

that you plunge, in a gulf, full of sulfur,

where you suffer, of such sad sorrow that when I think of it

my heart grows a bit, like a sponge, that you plunge...

When does it end?

It doesn't.

It won't be very long.

I saw a film with Jesus Christ.

Your father...

Can I come with you

to get eggs from the garden?

I went to see my teacher in her house.

The teacher's breasts...

- Her breasts? -Yes.

One Saturday night, while building this castle,

startled by a peasant,

M�lusine fled,

dropping the stones she had carried in her dress.

In the fold of her dress.

She cursed the castles she had just built:

Lusignan, Salbart, Vouvant and Mervent,

will perish stone by stone each year.

Saturday was the sole day of the week, when M�lusine again became a fairy

and it was agreed that under no circumstance

was her husband to see her.

People enviously suggested that she was untrue,

and pestered the prince with questions

about her mysterious Saturday habits, when she could never be found.

The prince didn't know how to respond

and grew jealous himseIf.

One Saturday

he climbed to the tower where his wife hid,

and with his sword,

unlatched the iron door and gazed upon her.

He saw his wife, bathing.

Down to the waist, she was a woman.

Below, she was a serpent.

She was a serpent.

M�lusine was startled, and leapt to the window.

But because of her husband,

she had lost her fairy powers.

She fell with a terrible shriek.

Damn.

Shit. Ass. Shit.

Son of a bitch.

Shit.

Ass.

Son of a bitch.

I went into the attic.

Quentin killed his goldfish.

He cut its head off with scissors.

That's him?

It was him.

Grandma!

Grandma!

- Why are you yelling like that? - I don't want anyone to know.

Come with me, Anne.

Translated and adapted: Nathaniel Draper

"Oph�lie" trans. Olivier Bernard (Penguin, 1962)

"Serpentin Vert" trans. MacDonell, Lee (Lawrence & Bullen, 1892)