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A la ciéuta de Betelèn  
(In the city of Bethlehem)
Lyrics and music by Nicolas Saboly, known as Micoulau Sabòli. Traditional from Provence.
Christmas carol published post-mortem Nicolas Saboly. It appears with number 65 in the Fr. Seguin’s new edition.
| 1st verse |
A la ciéuta de Betelèn,
Uno Vierge s’es acouchado;
Li vai uno grando assemblado,
De pertout l’arribo de gènt.
Si noun couneissiéu lou terraire,
Pourrié bèn èstre que diriéu
Qu’es uno fiero de Bèucaire,
O bèn la vilo d’Ais pèr la festo de Diéu. | | In the city of Bethlehem,
A Virgin gave birth;
Goes there a great gathering,
From everywhere are coming people.
If I didn’t the country,
I could well say
That it’s a fair in Beaucaire,
Or the town of Aix for the Corpus Christi. |
2nd verse |
Dos o très ouro davans jour,
Lou menu pople dei vilage,
Carga de burre e de froumage,
Li soun ana faire la court;
Lei pastres emé lei pastresso
S’en retornon vers seis agnèu:
Aro li vèn que de noublesso
Que li toumbon espés coume leis estournèu. | | Two or three hours before dawn,
The lower classes from villages,
Loaded with butter and cheese,
There they went to pay respects;
Shepherds and shepherdesses
Are going back to their lambs:
Now are coming only the nobility
Who cash is falling as do starlings. |
3rd verse |
Lei Rèi de l’ilo e de Tarsis
An pres terro à la Magalouno;
Li vai de tiaro e de courouno,
De du, de comte e de marquis;
De capèu, de mitro e de crosso
Tapisson toutei lei camin;
M’es avis que vese un carrosso,
Belèu eiçò sara Mounsegnour Loumelin. | | The kings from the Island and Tarsis (1)
Landed at the Magalouno (2);
There are going tiaras and crowns,
Dukes, counts and marquesses;
Hats, miters and crosiers
Are covering all the lanes;
In my opinion I’m seeing a coach,
May be it would be His Lordship Loumelin. |
4th verse |
Mounsegnour lou Vice-Legat,
Nàutrei vous en devèn de rèsto,
Car au pu fort de la tempèsto,
Sènso vous sarian tous nega;
Vous avès bèn coundu la barco,
Noste Sant Paire lou saup proun!
Gràcis ei Prince de Jubarco,
Que nous an prouvesi d’un si brave patroun. | | Your Lordship the vice-legate (3),
We all owe you besides,
Because at the height of the storm,
Without you we all should drown;
You were doing alright for us,
Our Holy Father knows well it!
Thanks to princes of Jubarco (4),
Who provided us a so nice patron. |
5th verse |
Mai que sie davans pau de tèm,
Voste esprit e vòsto prudènço
Mancaran pas de recoumpènso;
Aurés sujèt d’èstre countènt:
Lou Papo, qu’es bon coume un ange,
Sus ce qu’avès tan bèn agi
Vous dounara milo louange,
E n’en dira bèn tan que vous fara rougi! | | Before a long while,
Your spirit and your prudence
Will not fail in recompense;
You will get the subject to be pleased:
The pope, who is good as an angel,
According to that you have done so well,
Will give you thousand praises,
And he will say so that you will blush! |
6th verse |
Noste Prelat vai à soun tour
Adoura Jèsu sus la paio;
Vous-àutrei que sias seis ouvaio,
Devès segre voste Pastour:
Lou troubarés dins noste tèmple,
Venès-i, noun li manqués pas;
Pièisque vous mostro soun eisèmple,
Fasès tout ce que fai, seguès-lou pas à pas. | | Our prelate goes in turn
To worship Jesus on straw;
You all who are his flock,
You have to follow your pastor:
You will find him in our church,
Come there, don’t forget;
Since he watches you his example,
Do all he does, follow him step by step. |
7th verse |
Coume un pastre fai soun devé,
Lorsqu’emé sei tacoun de ferre
Grimpo sus la cimo d’un serre
Pèr vèire passa soun avé:
Ansin voste Pastour, que pènso
Toujour à sei pàuris agnèu,
Mountara sus uno eminènço
Pèr vèire de pu luen tout soun pichot troupèu. | | As a shepherd does his duty,
When with his hobnailed heels
He clims the summit of a crest
To see his flock passing:
So your pastor, thinking
Always to his poor lambs,
Will go up to a knoll
To see from farther all his little flock. |
1. Lei Rèi de l’ilo e de Tarsis: the kings from the Island and Tarsis, to whom it can be added the Arabia, i.e. the Magi, the Wise Men, the Three Kings: Gaspard, Melchior, and Belshazzar.
2. la Magalouno: a little island in Lake Thau (lagoon in Hérault, connecting with the Mediterranean Sea by the Sète canal). In the past, its village was the episcopal see, before to be transferred in Montpellier.
La belo Magalouno designates Venus, the evening star.
3. Laurent Lomellini: papal legate in Avignon, from 1665 to 1670. See also Cerqués plus dins un marrit estable.
4. Prince de Jubarco: Saboly designates the French princes, who had a beneficial effect on Lomellini’s elevation to the rank of vice-legate.
5. Hyacinthe Libelli: archbishop of Avignon from 1673, who died on 1684, October 24th. See also L’estrange deluge.
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