The Three Ships in Marseille (title of convenience based on the incipit) (Tres veisseous dedins Marselho), Provençal song by Damase Arbaud (Chants populaires de la Provence, 1862)

Song no. 23 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

Sount tres veisseous dedins Marselho Que van partir per Pourtugal, Liroun fa la lireto, Que van partir per Pourtugal, Liroun fa la lira. N'ant ben restat sept ans sur l'aiguo Senso terro pousqu' abourdar. Quand l'y a sept ans que sount sur l'aiguo Lou pan, lou vin, tout a manquat. N'ant tirat à la courto palho Quau sera lou premier mangeat. Lou mestre qu'a partit les palhos, Se la plus courto li a restat: — Quan n'en es aqueou vaillant moussi Que la vido me voou sauvar ? Li doun' uno de mes tres filhos Em' un vaisseou subredaurat. — N'en sera iou, moun capitani, Que la vido vous vau sauvar. — Ah! mountio, mounto, vaillant moussi, Mount' à la poumo doou grand mat. Quand lou moussi 's sur les crousetos Lou moussi s'es mes à plourar : — Ab! de que ploures, vaillant moussi, Veses pas quauque port de mar ? — Jou vese que lou ciel et l'aiguo Eme les oundos de la mar. — Ah! mounto, mounto, vaillant moussi, Un pau plus haut te faut mountar. Quand Jou moussi n'es sur la poumo, Lou moussi s'es mes à cantar : — Ah! de que cantes, vaillant moussi, Veses-tu quauque port de mar ? — Vese Touloun, vese Marselho, Nouestro-Damo de la Cioutat, Vese tres jouinos dameiselos Que proumenoun long de la mar. — Ah! canto, canio, vaïlant moussi, Aro n'as ben de que cantar; 'A s-gagna 'no poulido filho Em un vaisseou subredaurat. — Ài gagua 'no poulido filho, Mai ai risquat d'estre mangeat.

English translation of the full text forthcoming.

Notes

This song tells of three ships that set out from Marseille for Portugal, whose crew, stranded seven years at sea unable to reach land, draw the short straw to decide who will be eaten for lack of food. A young ship's boy offers to save the captain in exchange for the hand of one of his daughters, climbs the mast to watch for land, and finally sights Toulon and Marseille. The story ends with the boy having won a bride while having risked being devoured by his starving companions. The title of this piece is illegible in Arbaud's OCR source; the French title used here is one of convenience, based on the incipit «Sount tres veisseous dedins Marselho».

Notable words

Provençal	French
moussi	mousse, jeune matelot
veisseous	vaisseaux
courto palho	courte paille
crousetos	vergues du mât
subredaurat	tout doré

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