Song no. 9 from the collection Chants populaires de la Provence by Damase Arbaud (1814-1876), published in 1862. Public domain. The text follows Arbaud's own spelling, which predates the Félibrige standard, and is reproduced unchanged.
Text
Sant Jause eme Mario,
Tous dous s'en van vouyagear,
Sant Jause eme Mario,
Et vivo lou rei!
Tous dous s'en van vouyagear,
Vivo lou rei! Alleluia!
Dins la villo qu'arriveroun
Degun les voou retirar ;
L'y agut qu'uno pauro veouso;
Dins l'estable les a lougeats.
— Te remarciam, Margarido,
De l'hounour que nous as fach.
Jamaï, tu, ni ta familho,
Jamai ren vous manquara.
La Viergi s'es anado
Eme soun enfant au bras ;
D'eiça ven bouyer brav' homme,
— Ount' anatz, ma belo Damo,
Qu'un tant bel enfant pourtatz?
— Oh ! digo, bouyer brav' homme,
Lou voudries-tu counservar ?
— Metetz-vous souto ma Capo,
Degun vous descurbira.
— Retourno; bouyer brav' homme,
Vai-t-en meissounar toun blad:
— Lou poussible, belo Damo,
Es pas 'nca tout samenat ;
— Vai-t-en querrer toun anrame,
Toun blad se vai madurar.
N'en es pas lou quart d'un' houro
Fouguet flourit et nousat;
N'en es pas lou quart d'un' autro,
Fouguet lest à meissounar.
À la premiero gavelo
L'y aguet cent panaus de blad.
À la secoundo gavelo
L'ant pas pousqut estremar.
D'eica ven cavalario,
— Digo nous, bouyer brav' homme,
Tu que meissounes toun blad,
As pas vist passar Mario,
Eme soun Enfant au bras ?
— Ant passat quand samenave,
Quand samenave moun blad:
— Alors tournem se, bregado,
Aquo-n-ero l'an passat,
Alors tournem se, bregado,
Et vivo lou rei!
Aquo-n-ero l'an passat,
Vivo lou rei! Alleluia!
English translation of the full text forthcoming.
Notes
This carol recounts the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt as a sung dialogue. It follows the legend of the miraculously fast growing wheat, sown and ready to harvest within the hour, which tricks Herod's soldiers pursuing Mary and the Child. A poor widow named Marguerite first shelters the Holy Family, then a ploughman, at Mary's request, sows a field that stands ready for harvest by the time the cavalry arrives, which rides off believing the passage happened a year earlier. The refrain 'Vivo lou rei! Alleluia!' punctuates each stage of the story.
Notable words
| Provençal | French |
|---|
| veouso | veuve |
| lougeats | logés |
| anrame | araire, charrue |
| gavelo | gerbe (de blé) |
| panaus | gerbées, bottes de blé |
| cavalario | cavalerie |
Glosses are given in French, as delivered by our lexicographic source; an
English gloss is not yet available for these words.
Source: Damase Arbaud, Chants populaires de la Provence, 1862,
song no. 9. Public domain. Digitization:
https://archive.org/details/chantspopulaire00arbagoog. Transcription and formatting by Lingua Nostra.