| |
La Chavana  
(The Shower)
Nissart lyrics by Eugène Emanuel. Traditional from County of Nice.
The French original lyrics by René d’Helbingue are not reproduced here. The text given corresponds to the literal translation from the version in Nissart.
| 1st verse |
Ai ! Lou ciel s’embrunisse,
Lou soulèu s’escurcisse,
Plan que la nièu s’esquisse
Que bagne lou valoun.
De souta la sièu fueia
Lou babi si reveia,
Sente venì la plueia,
Entona ’na cansoun, la, la, (twice) | | Ow! The sky darkens,
The sun grows dark,
Slowly the storm clouds crush,
That wash the small valley.
From under its leaf
The toad wakes up,
It feels the rain coming,
It strikes up a song, la, la, (twice) |
2nd verse |
Lou vent su la mountagna
Si despera, si lagna,
Ploura couma la cagna
Qu’a perdut un pichoun.
Lou tron su de timbala,
Soubre de grossi mala
Fa regoulà de bala,
De bala de canoun, la, la, (twice) | | The wind on the mountain
Despairs, grumbles,
It weeps as does the bitch
That lost a pup.
The thunder on kettledrums,
On large trunks
Makes bullets to roll,
Bullets of gun, la, la, (twice) |
3rd verse |
E per avé un passage
Esgarra lu nuage
E pouorta lou ravage
En lou nouostre valoun.
Ai ! La paura filleta
Qu’èra anada souleta
Per faire un pòu d’erbeta
Tremouola en un cantoun, la, la, (twice) | | And to get a passage
It tears up the clouds
And brings the devastation
In our small valley.
Ow! The poor young girl
That went alone
To pick up grass
Shivers in a part, la, la, (twice) |
4th verse |
E la pluèia fouetta
Embé de co’ de bleta
Lou gran e la faveta
Que creisse en lou valoun.
Pi, lou tourent mugisse,
Au gros boucan s’unisse,
S’empouorta, si sesisse
De terra e de maioun, la, la, (twice) | | And the rain lashes
With strikes of riding crop
The wheat and the small French bean
That grow in the small valley.
Then, the torrent roars,
To the great row joins,
Bolts, catches
Earth and houses, la, la, (twice) |
5th verse |
E lou paisan si ploura
En veèn en un’oura
Anà tout en maloura,
Lou pan dai sièu pichoun.
« S’aiçote gaire dura,
Adiéu à la verdura,
À la rica parura
Dòu nouostre valoun, la, la, » (twice) | | And the peasant weeps
Seeing in one hour
Everything going to calamity,
The bread of his sons.
“If this lasts too long,
Goodbye to the greenery,
To the rich finery
Of our small valley, la, la,” (twice) |
6th verse |
Ma lou ciel s’esclarcisse,
Lou mount si coulourisse,
La flou que s’esplandisse,
Ranima lou valoun.
De souta la sièu fueia
Doun a bravat la pluèia,
Lou lièucre si reveia
E chièuna una cansoun, la, la, (twice) | | But the sky clears up,
The mountain colours itself,
The flower opening out
Brightens the small valley.
From under its leaf
Where it braved the rain,
The goldfinch awakes
And chirps a song, la, la, (twice) |
The Armanac niçart (cf. under, § Bibliography) gives the following additional verse:
| 7th verse |
La chavana es passada,
La Vierge l’a scassada ;
La vida es redonada
Aù nuostre bèu vallon.
Li flou de la preria
Li pourten à Maria,
E vàutri, belli filla,
Cantali un’orassion ! | | The shower is gone,
The Virgin chased it away;
Life is given back
To our small valley.
The flowers from the meadow
We bring to Mary,
And you, pretty girls,
Sing her an orison! |
Back music page - Top
© 2001-2024 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.
|
