Provençal song

Legend of Jesus Christ

In Provençal: LEGENDO DE JESUS-CHRIST

Song no. 13 Damase Arbaud, 1862

Song no. 13 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

Jesus-Christ s’habill’ en paure, L'oumoino vai demandar : — Moussu que siatz en fenestro, Fasetz me la caritat ; — Ah! vai-t-en, couquin de paure, Jou te vouere pas dounar ; — Dounetz m’ aumen les briguetos Que vous toumboun d'’oou repas, — Les briguetos que me toumboun Soun per mes chins et mes cats ; Mes chins m'adusoun des lebres, Tu sabes pas rappourtar. —— Ail damo, boueno damo, Fasetz me la caritat ; — Ajil paure, moun bouen paure, lou vous pouede pas dounar, Moun marit est en coulero Pourrie beleou me piquar; — Dounelz m’aumen les briguetos Que vous toumboun doou repas ; — Ail paure, moun bouen paure, D'escoundoun vous fau moutar. Dins lou temps que n’en mountavo Ant vitz grando claritat : — Ai! paure, moun bouen paure, Qu'es aquelo grand clartat ? — Es, damo, boueno damo, Les oumoïnos qu’avetz fach; Ai ! damo, boueno damo, Vous counfessetz-ti souvent ? — Me confess’ à Pandecousto, De Pandecoust’ à Sant Jean. — Ai! damo, boueno damo, Anetz leou vous counfessar. Sera pas lou quart d’un’ houro Que vous auretz irepassat ; Vouestro plaço n’es marquado Au Paradis benhurat, Vouestro chamibrier’ arrouganto Dedins l’Infer brulara, Lou moussu qu’'es aussi rude À soun Coustat brulara.

English translation of the full text forthcoming.

Notes

This legend shows Jesus Christ disguised as a beggar going from door to door asking for alms. A wealthy man harshly turns him away, while a lady, despite fearing her irascible husband, secretly gives him the crumbs from the meal. Jesus then reveals himself in a great light and promises the charitable woman her place in Paradise, while a haughty chambermaid and the hard-hearted master are doomed to burn in Hell. The tale belongs to the genre of popular religious legend, in which almsgiving to the disguised poor man decides the characters' eternal fate.

Notable words

ProvençalFrench
oumoinoaumône
briguetosmiettes de pain
coulerocolère
escoundounen cachette
chamibrier'chambrière, servante
benhuratbienheureux

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. 13. Public domain. Digitization: https://archive.org/details/chantspopulaire00arbagoog. Transcription and formatting by Lingua Nostra.