Vienna lies in the heart of the Hungarian steppes
A ball was given on the Prater,
A young lady sprained her ankle,
A carriage brings her back in defiance of the rain showers

Sugar on the lips, under the stucco of the buildings,
The churches of the Innere Stadt (city center) mourn the Habsburgs
« Wien bleibt Wien » (Vienna remains Vienna) even under the flashes of the tourists,
And the subway rushes by, fanned by the deafening din of its youth

All the languages of the Balkans can be heard
In cosmopolitan Vienna, from churches to gothic towers
To the Sky café that awaits us on the top floor,
Let’s embrace the capital with a fiery look

The streets are colorful, luxury hide at every crossroads,
I went to sunbathe in this open-air museum-city; it’s summer,
Vienna is a concept store, a cinema passion
And the giant spire of the cathedral threatens us

At night – the roller coaster has stopped
Cotton candy stinks in the air, sweat,
I climbed to the top of the starry night
In a gondola shivering in the rain

I leafed through the Times with a coffee in my hand
In a Kafeehaus (café) that dreamed of the past
The baroque alleys welcome the laughter of children
Ten little hands clap the air in rhythm

Senf oder Kren (mustard or horseradish?)
A Hitler bunker is part of the landscape
And the rain falls in detuned drops
On the parliament while the night belongs to the ghosts

I took the pulse of Vienna in a design store
A colourful house was frightening the grey thickness of the skies
Put on your skates, Reader, I offer you a lap
On the illuminated and crowded ice rink,

Will you have some more mulled wine while the storm rumbles?
Let’s go for a swim in the shimmering water of the Old Danube
Let’s watch Vienna take on its morning colors
From the north tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral

The Spanish Riding School parades before us
The spectrum of Romi Schneider is soaked in light
He plays the grand piano at night when the Staatsoper (national opera) is empty
Then a ghostly music haunts the capital of Austria