The Fashionable Code

Straw-coloured gloves,

tight pants,

a jacket too tight-waisted

for a child,

shiny

varnished boots -

that's how our lions

dress nowadays.

To be admired, a Beau

must be a good coachman

and know how to drive

a light tilbury.

Skillfully,

seamlessly lead,

a Negro

with crossed arms. (Chorus)

Shape his mustache

into threatening hooks,

exhaust himself

straightening his gloves,

hunch over a cane

half a foot long,

talk valiantly

about Grisier's attacks.

No matter what the name

of one's keep or ancestors,

no one is a gentleman

who has good eyes.

Whether looking at a painting

exhibited at the Salon

or the Arc de l'Étoile,

he whips out his eyeglass. (Chorus)

The fine arts we prize

are for the bourgeoisie.

The elegant man talks of fencing,

dog racing, hunting in the woods.

He talks about the Stock Exchange

and feather-legged pigeons,

about his race horses

(which are always beaten)

on the Turf, in an hour,

place twenty bets,

camp out

in the Café-de-Paris

and, best of all,

crown his exploits

and show off his nobility

in the Jockey Club!