Provençal song

The Betrothed's Return

In Provençal: LOU RETOUR DOOU PROUMES

Song no. 32 Damase Arbaud, 1862

Song no. 32 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

N'aviou tres caregnaires, De tres n'ai plus que dous, De tres n'ai plus. . . . Tra la la la, De tres n'ai plus que dous. M'ant pres moun ami Pierre, Lou plus amat de tous, . . . .. — Quand douuariatz, la belo, Per vous lou far trouvar ?..... — Jou dounariou Marselho, Versalh' et moun pays. . . .. — Marselho n'es pas vouestre, Versalho n'es doou rei. . ... () — He ben ! prenetz mes fedos Et mes agneous aussi, . . . .. Mai rendetz-me moun Pierre, Autrament voou mourir. . . . . — Counsouelo-te, Bargiero, Toun proumes vai venir, ...., Eme la crous de guerro, La crous doou Sant-Esprit. .... Que lausad" sie la Viergi Et soun cher Fils aussi, . . . .. Que m'ant rendu grand Pierre, Grand Pierre moun ami, Grand Pierre moun,. . . .. Tra la la la, Grand Pierre moun ami.

English translation of the full text forthcoming.

Notes

A dialogue song between a shepherdess and an unnamed interlocutor who asks what she would give to have her fiancé Pierre, gone to war, brought back to her. She offers her possessions and her flock, and Pierre returns wearing the war cross and the cross of the Holy Spirit. Arbaud notes the song was communicated to him by M. Martini.

Notable words

Provençal	French
caregnaires	mot obscur, sans doute lié à la garde du troupeau
bargiero	bergère
fedos	brebis
agneous	agneaux
proumes	promis, fiancé
Viergi	Vierge

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