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Provençal song

The Marriage of the Butterfly

In Provençal: LOU MARIAGI DOOU PARPALHOUN

Song no. 39 Damase Arbaud, 1862

Song no. 39 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

Parpalhoun, moun bouen amic, Parpalhoun, marido-ti. Des anciens suivant l'usagi Pens' à te meltr' en meinagi, Parpalhoun, moun bouen amic, Parçalhoun, marido-ti. — Coumo me maridarai Que ges de lougeament n'ai ? Li respouende la limaco : Jou te cedarai ma placo, Parpalhoun. . . .. — Coumo me maridarai : Que ges de lançoau iou n'ai ? Vai, li respouende l'aragno, Jou te fierarai l'escagno, Parpalhoun. . . .. — Coumo me maridarai Que de pan per aquo n'ai ? Li respouende la fourmigo : En servo garde l'espigo, Parpalhoun. . . .. — Coumo me maridarai Que de pitanço noun n'ai? Vai, li respouende lou garri, Siou lou mestre de l'armari, Parpalhoun. . . .. — Coumo me maridarai Que ges de lume iou n'ai? Li respouende la luserno : De moun cuou farai lanterno, Parpalhoun. . . .. — Coumo me maridarai Que ges de sucre iou n'ai ? Vai, li respouende l'abelho, N'atrove sur la rameio, Parpalhoun. . . .. — Coumo me maridarai Que ges de cantaire n'ai? Li respouende la cigalo : De moun cuou farai timbalos, Parpalhoun. . . . . Tout countent et salisfat Parpalhoun s'es maridat; Au sant retour de la messo Des douns qu'avien fach proumesso Chaqu' animau venguet leou Hounourar l'espous nouveou.

English translation of the full text forthcoming.

Notes

A cumulative, enumerative nouvè in which the butterfly wants to marry but lacks everything (lodging, sheet, bread, food, light, sugar, a singer), and each animal (snail, spider, ant, rat, glow worm, bee, cicada) offers him a gift in turn. Once married, each animal comes to honor the new husband on returning from mass. Arbaud notes the song was communicated to him by M. Pelabon and records two variants.

Notable words

ProvençalFrench
parpalhounpapillon
limacoescargot ou limace
aragnoaraignée
fourmigofourmi
garrirat
lusernover luisant
cigalocigale
escagnoécheveau

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

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