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Despièi lou tèm que lou soulèu se lèvo  
(How long the Sun is rising)
Lyrics by Nicolas Saboly, known as Micoulau Sabòli. Traditional from Provence.
Tune De l’Opéra.
This Christmas carol has been published on 1671 in the 5th book. It appears with number 38 in the Fr. Seguin’s new edition.
| 1st verse |
Despièi lou tèm
Que lou soulèu se lèvo,
La mort toujour tèn
Sout soun poudé toutei lei gènt
Pèr aquéu cop de dènt
D’Adam e d’Évo;
Mai l’enfant Jèsu, lou Rèi de glòri,
Pèr moustra pertout que manco pas de cor,
Se bat gaiardamen contro la Mort,
E coume lou plus fort,
A la vitòri. | | How long
The Sun is rising,
Death always holds
Beyond its power all people
For taking a bite (1)
By Adam and Eve;
But infant Jesus, the King of glory,
To show everywhere he doesn’t lack heart,
Fights bravely against the Death,
And as the strongest,
To victory. |
2nd verse |
Pèr leis infèr
Li a de pàurei nouvello:
Lou trafi se perd,
Deja Satan e Lucifèr
An pres lou bounet verd,
Fan quinquinello!
Pièisqu’aquélei dous sarron boutico,
Qu’avien mai de founs e qu’èron lei plus fin,
Veiren lèu tous leis autrei diabloutin
E lei pichot lutin
Sènso pratico. | | For Hell
There are poor (2) news:
The traffic (3) gets lost,
Already Satan and Lucifer
Are close the green bonnet (4),
They go bankrupt (5)!
As these two close shop,
That had business and were the finest,
We will soon see all other imps
And little goblins
Without practice (6). |
3rd verse |
Nosto leiçoun
Es qu’un chascun se founde
En aquéu garçoun,
Qu’a trouba la bello façoun
De paga la rançoun
De tout lou mounde.
Plan pas rèn si souin ni mai sa peno
Pèr paga la soumo à bèu denié coumtant,
Car aquéu bèl enfant nous amo tan
Que douno tout lou sang
Qu’a dins sei veno. | | Our lesson
Is that everyone goes
On this boy,
Who has disturbed the fine way
To pay the ransom
For all people.
He spared neither care nor effort
To pay amount with beautiful cash deniers,
Because this nice child love so us
That he gives all the blood
He gets in his veins |
1. Cop de dènt: Adam and Eve took a bite at the forbidden apple, and were chased away from the Garden of Eden.
2. Pàurei: poor, here means bad.
3. Trafi: traffic. Here, trading activities, and also illegal practices.
4. Bounet verd: green bonnet. At the galleys, the green bonnet was the attribute more particularly of the bankrupts.
5. Quinquinello: bankruptcy. The 5 years delay (quinquenium) granted to debtors to release from their debts; if they didn’t pay after this delay, they were exhibited bare-bottomed on a stone. What’s the reason for these expressions moustra lou cùou, picà dòu cùou (to show the ass, to beat with the ass).
6. Pratico: practice, i.e. custom, clientele.
| Bibliography | | • | Saboly (Nicolas), Noés nouveous de l’an M. DC. LXXI. (New Christmas carols for the year 1671), Michel Chastel printer of His Holiness, Avignon, 1671, p. 13-14. | | • | Saboly (Nicolas), Recueil des noëls composés en langue provençale (Collection of Christmas carols composed in Provençal language), reprint Fr. Seguin, printer and bookseller, Avignon, 1856, p. 46. |
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