The Orphans (LES OURPHELINS), Provençal song by Damase Arbaud (Chants populaires de la Provence, 1862)

Song no. 15 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

Qu voou entendre la coumplainto De tres pichots enfants. Sa mair’ es morlo, soun paire S’es tournat maridar ; À pres ’no mechanto fremo, Les fai mourir de fam. Lou plus pichot des tres fraires Li demando de pan ; Li fich' un cop de pe’ au ventre, À terro l'a gitat. Lou plus grand des tres fraires L'es anat relevar : — Relevo-te, moun fraire, Ma mair’ anem trouvar: Anem au camenteri De pan nous dounara. Long doou camin rescontroun Lou Bouen-Diou Jesus- Christ : — Et ount’ anetz, mes angis, Mes angis tant petits. — Anem au camenteri, Ma mair' anem trouvar ; — Entournelz-vous, mes angis Vous la farai venir. Relevo-te, Mario, Vai nourir tes enfants. — Coumo vouretz que m'hausse N'ai forco ni pouder ? — Jou te doune de forco, De pouder per sept ans. Quand les sept ans s’approchoun Elo fai que plourar. — De que plouretz, ma maire, De que souspiretz tant ? — Jou n’en ploure, mes angis, Que fau que se quittem. — N'en plouretz pas, ma maire, L’y anarem tous ensem ; L'un pourtara l'isopo Et l’autre lou flambeou, L'autre tendra lou libre, L'y anarem en canlant.

English translation of the full text forthcoming.

Notes

This complainte tells of three orphans mistreated by their stepmother after their mother's death and their father's remarriage. Driven out and starving, the children set off to find their mother at the cemetery and meet the good Lord along the way, who brings their mother back to life for seven years so she can feed them. When the term ends, the children agree to let her go and accompany her in a singing funeral procession. The genre is the popular complainte, centered on piety and the fate of abandoned children.

Notable words

Provençal	French
coumplainto	complainte
fraire	frère
camenteri	cimetière
angis	anges
isopo	goupillon (aspersoir)
flambeou	flambeau

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