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Iéu ai vist lou Piemount...   , (bis)
(I’ve seen the Piedmont)
Lyrics and music by Nicolas Saboly, known as Micoulau Sabòli. Traditional from Provence.
Nicolas Saboly has proposed two versions for this Christmas carol composed on 1660, after the wedding of Louis XIV with Marie-Thérèse d’Autriche. Then, this Christmas carol has been published on 1668 in the 1st book. It appears with number 1 in the Fr. Seguin’s new edition.
| 1st verse |
Iéu ai vist lou Piemount,
L’Italìo e l’Aragoun,
La Perso e la Turquìo,
L’Arabìo
E la Chino e lou Japoun.
Iéu ai vist l’Angloterro,
La Pologno e lou Danemar ;
E pèr terro,
E pèr mar,
Sènso asar,
Siéu estat en proun de part.
Après tout, iéu ai vist quaucarèn :
Mai trobe rèn de bèu coume Betelèn. | | Me, I’ve seen the Piedmont,
Italy and Aragon,
Persia and Turkey,
Arabia
And China and Japan.
Me, I’ve seen England,
Poland and Denmark;
And by land,
And by sea,
Without hazard,
I went in numerous places.
After all, me, I’ve seen something:
But I don’t found anything (as) beautiful as Bethlehem. |
2nd verse |
Quand noste rèi Louis
Venguèt en aquest païs,
Eu troubè nosto vilo
Plus gentilo
Que gis que n’aguèsse vist.
Assistèt à l’oufice,
Faguè la Cèno après Rampau,
L’eisercice
Quauque pau ;
Fè grand gau
Quand touquè tous lei malaut.
Bèn qu’acò fusse bèu, n’es pas rèn
Auprès de ce qu’ai vist dedins Betelèn. | | When our king Louis
Went in this country (1),
He found our city
More delightful
As the ones he never seen.
He attended the church service,
Did the Last Supper after Palm Sunday (2),
The exercise
Somewhat;
He did great joy
When he touched all the sick (3).
Though that was beautiful, it’s nothing
Compared with what I’ve seen in Bethlehem. |
3rd verse |
Iéu ai segui la court,
Bèn que sie pas moun umour ;
Siéu estat en persouno
A Baiouno
E li ai fach un long sejour.
Iéu ai vist l’assemblado,
Lou mariage dòu rèi Louis,
Soun intrado
Dins Paris ;
M’èro avis
Qu’ère dins lou Paradis !
Bèn qu’acò fusse bèu, n’es pas rèn
Auprès de ce qu’ai vist dedins Betelèn. | | Me, I’ve followed the court,
Although this is not my mood;
I went personally
In Bayonne
And I spent there a long time.
Me, I’ve seen the assembly,
The wedding of king Louis,
His entry
In Paris;
To my mind it seemed
I was in Paradise!
Though that was beautiful, it’s nothing
Compared with what I’ve seen in Bethlehem. |
4th verse |
Lou mounde fai grand cas
Deis article de la pas ;
La Franço e l’Alemagno
E l’Espagno
An bouta leis armo à bas.
Pèr viéure de sei rèndo,
Un chascun met leis armo au cro.
Pèr Calèndo (4),
Près dòu fio,
Dins soun lio,
Chascun pauso cachafiò (5).
Es verai qu’acò vèn dins lou tèm
Qu’aquéu qu’a fa la pas es dins Betelèn. | | The world attaches great importance
To peace articles;
France and Germany
And Spain (6)
Lay down their arms.
To live on his private income,
Everybody hangs up the weapons on hook.
At Christmas,
Close to fireplace,
In his bed,
Everyone celebrates Christmas Eve.
It’s true that this comes in the time
That the one who made peace is in Bethlehem. |
1. Louis XIV came in Avignon on March 19th 1660.
2. Rampau meant originally “palm tree branch”. Then, this word has designated all kinds of boughs (bay bough, olive bough...) that were brought to church to be blessed on Palm Sunday.
3. “The king touches you, God cures you.” This formula was supposed to allow the king cure the scrofulas, on his coronation day.
4. As December 25th was the more noteworthy of the eight days before calends (octavo ante calendas), our ancestors, become Christian, retained the name calendas for this day to designate Christmas.
5. Pausa cachafiò : celebrate Christmas Eve.
6. An allusion to Treaty of Pyrenees, signed on November 7th, 1659.
| Bibliography | | • | Saboly (Nicolas), first book of Christmas carols, Pierre Offray printer, Avignon, 1668. | | • | 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. 2-3. |
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