Literal translation
long still!
Meaning
a wish or toast, literally "long may it last"
Explanation
A wishing formula built on longo, the feminine of long, and the adverb mai, which here means still, further, a different word from the conjunction but. Its literal sense, long still, carries the figurative meaning directly: it is a wish for duration, for happy continuity, addressed to a person, an enterprise, or a cause one hopes to see carried on. Beyond its strictly linguistic use, the formula has become an identity rallying cry in Provence, taken up at festivals, félibréen gatherings, and celebrations of Provençal culture, where it serves to wish the language itself a long life. It is also used more modestly at the close of personal good wishes, weddings, birthdays, retirements, to hope that the present happiness continues. Its register remains solemn and warm, never purely casual.