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La Bella Bouquetiera (The Pretty Flower Girl) Nissart lyrics and music by François Guisol. Traditional from County of Nice.
1st verse |
La bouquetiera Isora Lou matin à l’aurora Coum’ una jouva Flora Cuhie lu siéu bouquet. De cent flou lu coumposa Ma la plus bella rosa En Plassa la prouposa Au siéu bèu farluquet. (twice) | | The flower girl Isora In the morning at dawn As a young Flora (1) Picks her bunches. With one hundred flowers she arranges them But the the most beautiful rose On the [market] place she proposes To her handsome whippersnapper. (twice) |
2nd verse |
Souta la capelina Me la siéu bella mina Ressembl’ à la regina Dei joious mès de Mai. Emb’ aquella courouna D’or que Ceres meissouna Dirias qu’au mounde ourdouna D’estre amourous e gai. (twice) | | Under the capelina With her nice expression She looks like the queen Of the merry month of May. With this crown Of gold Ceres (2) harvests You would say that she orders the world To be in love and happy. (twice) |
3rd verse |
Aquella bouquetiera Es toujour la premièra D’avé fà bouona fièra De touti li siéu flou. Ma sus la siéu figura Dei flou d’après natura Li resta la frescura E brillanti coulou. (twice) | | This flower girl Is always the first To have done good [sale at the] fair Of all her flowers. But on her face Of the natural flowers She keeps the freshness And the bright colours. (twice) |
4th verse |
Jamai m’un ton de bila Li garda de la villa La pousson de la fila D’aquella d’alentour. Afin que noun l’afronte D’ella n’en tenon compte, Couma s’èra d’un comte La paisana d’amour. (twice) | | Never with an angry voice The guards of the town Drive her away from the line Of those of the surroundings. In order that she doesn’t confront them They don’t take her into account, As she was of a Count The small farmer of love. (twice) |
1. Italic goddess of the Flowers and Gardens, in honour of whom were celebrated the floralies (“flower show”). 2. The goddess of Harvests in the Roman mythology (corresponding to Demeter in the Greek mythology).
The flower girl is quoted in several traditionnal songs from the County of Nice, see for instance this Flou de Nissa (Flower of Nice).
Bibliography | • | Bessi (Jules), Biographie ancienne et moderne des poètes niçois, Nice, 1894. | • | Delrieu (Georges), Anthologie de la chanson niçoise (Anthology of the Song from Nice), Nice, publisher Delrieu & Co, 1960, p. 54-55. | • | Tosan (Albert), Princivalle (Gaël) and d’Hulster (Frédéric), Anthologie de la chanson du comté de Nice (Anthology of the Song from County of Nice), Nice, Serre publisher, series “Encyclopædia niciensis – Patrimoine régional”, volume III, 2001, p. 40-41. | • | revue Armanac niçart, Nice, 1903, p. 113. | • | revue Nice historique, Nice, n° 3, 1938, p. 74. |
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