Best answer
Ok then for the translation but for the mean….
“Tu es belle, si belle que te regarder est une souffrance.”
De François Truffaut / Le Dernier Métro
“Il ne suffit pas, pour être belle, d »être belle.”
De Paul Raynal / Au soleil de l »instinct
“Une femme qui est belle a toujours de l »esprit ; elle a l »esprit d »être belle.”
De Théophile Gautier
that’s for the trouble…
And for the french spirit:
“Femme sage est plus que femme belle.”
De Voltaire
“Il suffit de dire à une femme laide qu »elle est belle, elle ne deviendra peut-être pas belle, mais elle deviendra jolie.”
De Prosper Mérimée
“Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un oeil.”
De Anthelme Brillat-Savarin / Physiologie du goût
Have a nice day 😉
Answer
La Samaritaine was a water pump in Paris. It was a major piece of civil infrastructure when it was built (early 17th c.) and was renovated in the 17th and 18th centuries. It was housed in a tower built on the side of the Pont Neuf and bore on its façade a sculpture representing Christ and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, a story told in the Gospel of John. The pump and building took their name from this sculpture, as did the Art Nouveau building which now stands on the shore near the Pont Neuf. The tower was eventually topped by a clock and bells and became an important part of Parisians’ lives as a reliable public clock. Remember that in those days wristwatches did not exist and pocket watches were a very expensive item, so that common people relied on the bells of the public clocks provided in European cities by the municipality or the Church.
The phrase “As punctual as the Samaritaine” dates back to those times, when people depended on the clock which was known for its accuracy.
As it became obsolete the water pump was demolished (1813) and a shop was opened on the site of the pump, on the bridge, when there were still shops on it. The owner of that shop later opened the famed department store of the same name on the right bank near the Pont Neuf; after 135 years of activity, the store closed in 2005 when the owners realized that they could get much more money selling off the real estate than running the store. French laws however prevented them from cashing in right away, and new owners (LVMH) held on to the unused and empty buildings with the goal of transforming them into a luxury hotel. Work started in 2015 on the conversion of the buildings which is now slated for completion toward the end of 2018.