Song no. 5 from the collection Lis Isclo d'Or (section « Li Cansoun ») by Frédéric Mistral (dates inconnues), published in 1861. Public domain. Source spelling: mistralienne, reproduced unchanged.
Text
English translation of the full text forthcoming.
Notes
Lou Cant dóu Soulèu opens the « Li Cansoun » (Songs) section of Frédéric Mistral's collection Lis Isclo d'Or, dated June 1861 and dedicated to Joseph Roumanille. It is a joyful invocation of the Provençal sun, which ripens the vine, warms the towns along the Rhône (Avignon, Arles, Marseille), and gives rise to work, song, and love of the native land. The rhythmic refrain « Lèu ! lèu ! lèu ! » (Quick! quick! quick!) mimics the urgent call addressed to the sun. The poem became widely known as a traditional Provençal song and was translated into Italian under the title L'inno al sole.
Notable words
| Provençal | French |
|---|---|
| soulèu | soleil |
| mistrau | mistral, vent du nord-ouest |
| calèu | lampe à huile |
| piboulo | peuplier |
| panicaut | chardon, panicaut |
| languisoun | langueur, nostalgie |
Glosses are given in French, as delivered by our lexicographic source; an English gloss is not yet available for these words.
Source: Frédéric Mistral, Lis Isclo d'Or (section « Li Cansoun »), 1861, song no. 5. Public domain. Digitization: https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Lis_Isclo_d%E2%80%99Or/Lou_Cant_d%C3%B3u_soul%C3%A8u. Transcription and formatting by Lingua Nostra.