Provençal song

The Good Mother's dream

In Provençal: LOU PANTAI DE LA BOUENO MERO

Song no. 3 Damase Arbaud, 1862

Song no. 3 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

Au bouesc doou mount des Oouliviers Ounte Jesus a fach soun liech, Jesus un tant grand cris a gitat, Que Gabriel s'est reveillat. — Gabriel, veilletz ou dourmetz? — Jou ni n'en douerme ni n'en veille. — Anetz au bouesc de Jerusio Li trouvaretz ma Mero Mario, Li diretz: Diou vous douno lou bouen jour. — Mero, boueno Mefo, rien siatz tristo, Que marri pantai n'avetz-vous fach ? — Ai fach un pantai que les estellos S'en ananaŸoun en souspirant, Que lou soureou doou ciet saunavo Et n'en degoutavo de sang. — Ah! Mero; boueno Mero, N'es pas un pantai qü'avetz fach Es là puro realita. Qu aquest ouresoun saura Tous les divendres lou dira Jamai soun amo perira Diou de l'Infer la tirara.

English translation of the full text forthcoming.

Notes

This piece stages a dialogue between the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, awakened by Jesus' cry of pain on the Mount of Olives. Mary recounts a premonitory dream, that of the weeping stars and the bleeding sun, which Jesus recognises as a true vision of his coming Passion. The piece closes with a promise of salvation for whoever recites this prayer every Friday. The genre is that of the narrative prayer, close to the Passion lament.

Notable words

Provençal	French
pantai	rêve, songe
ouresoun	oraison, prière
estellos	étoiles
realita	réalité
divendres	vendredis

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