Lila och röd hatt, någon?

Väninnan i utlandet mailade mig en liten kommentar till gårdagen, alltså den internationella kvinnodagen.
Tycker den är värd att delas av fler - hon skriver att texten finns på ett tidningsurklipp så gammalt att det gulnat. Men budskapet känns aktuellt. Och en liten språkövning kan aldrig vara fel.
Lila med röd hatt till, någon?


When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which does not go
and does not suit me

And I shall spend my pension on Brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals - and say we have no money for butter
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people gardens
And learn to spit
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickles for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats
And things in boxes

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
and pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people that know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple?

Klimakteriehäxan tackar väninnan för lånet!