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Jan, Jausé  
(John, Joseph)
Nissart lyrics and music by Martin-Saytour. Traditional Christmas carol from County of Nice.
As in Guihaume, Tòni, Pèire, this carol begins with enumeration of some of the village inhabitants. But originality consists in the detail of the announcement (5 verses) and the journey of the pilgrims (4 verses), versus only 2 verses related to adoration in front of the crib.
| 1st verse |
O ! Jan, Jausé, Jaume, Jana, Maria,
Jaque, Girorme, Gertruda, Miquèu,
Revilhas-vous, sautas toui en camilha
Per qu’anas veire quaucaren de bèu ;
Ah ! levas-vous, fès lèu... Que meloudia,
Chanjas de bràia, courset e caireù. | | (Early in the morning, the father calls his children.)
Oh! John, Joseph, Jeaume, Jane, Mary,
James, Jérôme, Gertrude, Michael,
Wake up! Jump with your nightshirts
Because you are going to see something beautiful;
Ah! Stand up, quickly... What a melody,
Change breeches, corset and bonnet. |
2nd verse |
Senti de bruì, anàs à la feniera,
Saupe mi à dire cenqu’es, de doun vèn.
Se son de ladre, doublas li barièra,
Fè-lu mountà se son de bravi gent.
Anàs e gardàs ben, ma plan dai niera
Que noun vous pouòrton de pes toui ensen.
| | I hear noise, go to the hayloft,
Let you know tell me what it is, where [it is] coming from.
If they are robbers, double barriers,
Let them go up if they are good people.
Go and look well, but slowly [because of] the fleas,
As they don’t bring you lice all together.
(The son goes to see and comes back toward his father.) |
3rd verse |
Pà, veguessias quant mounde que pùa
E qu’esquilassa da toui lu camin ;
Barba Paoun e tanta Lagramua
Son ja passat emb’au coumpaire Pin (1) ;
Li a lou rangou Pepin (1), Gibas, la Grua,
Qu sau per qu es aquestou festin ? | | Dad, should you see how much people is going up
And shout (2) along all lanes;
Uncle Paoun (3) and aunt Lagramua (4)
Already passed there with crony Joseph;
There is Pepin the lame, Hunchback, the Crane,
Who knows who is this feast for? |
4th verse |
O pà, veguessias que gran espectacle :
Li a un ange au ciel que lus mai qu’un soulèu.
Paire, venès veire aqueu gran miracle,
Un’ estela es toumbada sus l’amèu.
Aquel ange si bèu pouòrta un ouracle,
Anèn l’entendre, noun cregnen la nèu. | | Oh! Dad, should you see what a great sight:
There is an angel in the sky twinkling more than a sun.
Father, come and see this great miracle,
A star fell down on the hamlet.
This angel so beautiful bears an oracle,
Let’s listen, don’t let’s be afraid by snow. |
5th verse |
Venès toui, sabi la granda nouvella,
Cantas, triounfas e pi vous la diéu ;
La filha d’Anna, la bruna, la bella,
S’es acouchada de l’enfant de Diéu,
Ah ! Que plesì es lou miéu, suiven l’estela,
Anen li oufrì vida e ben ; tout es siéu.
| | Come, all of you, I know the great news,
Sing, exult and then I’ll tell it to you;
Ann’s (5) daughter, the brunette, the beautiful,
Gave birth to the child of God,
Ah! What pleasure is mine, let’s follow the star,
Let’s go offer him life and good; all is his own.
(Everybody prepares to leave.) |
6th verse |
Pilha d’agnèu, de pigioun, de polenta,
Emple li sacoula, lu canestroun ;
Filha, ana-li vous oufrì per servanta,
Enfant, fès tout, que per Eu noun fès proun ;
Pilha mantèu, bastoun, noun plòu ni venta,
Anen vìtou adourà maire e pichoun.
| | Take lamb, pigeons, polenta,
Fill up the beggar’s bags, the small wicker baskets;
Girls, let go and offer you as maids,
Children, do everything, because for He you don’t do enough;
Take coat, walking stick, it’s neither raining nor windy,
Let’s quickly go to worship mother and child.
(Everybody gets under way.) |
7th verse |
Passen d’aici, eviten l’avalanca,
Un pòu pu en là, pilhas garda au trancas,
Fès atencioun en passant sus la planca,
Que noun faguessias pi quauque fau pas ;
Dona à Cleofa lou bras, sinoun s’embranca.
Va ti fa foutre ! Es toumbada d’en bas.
| | Let’s pass here, and avoid the avalanche,
A bit more that way, watch out for the trench (6),
Be careful passing on the plank,
Not stumbling;
Link arms with Cleofa, otherwise she stumbles.
Get stuffed! She fell down.
(Accident.) |
8th verse |
Vìtou, d’ajuda, que l’aiga l’empouòrta,
Sautas toui dintre, anas la pescà.
— Paire, la teni !... Maire, es mieja mouòrta...
— Picas de fuec, la còu faire secà...
— Jan, douna, se li a, de vin e pouòrta...
Ah ! lou siéu pous coumença ja à picà. | | Quick, help, water carries her along,
Jump all inside [the river], go and catch her.
— Father, I hold her! Mother, she is half dead...
— Kindle fire, we have to put her to dry...
— John, give, if there is, wine and carry...
Ah! Her pulse resumes already to beat. |
9th verse |
Tout va ben e suiven nouòstra routa,
Cleofa es remessa, l’acoumpagnaren ;
Vès aquel ae que passa aqui souta :
Es dòu coumpaire, la li ajoucaren
En tirant d’aici luen un còu de mouta,
Lou bèu Pichoun que cercan trouveren.
| | All is right and we follow our lane,
Cleofa gets better, we will go with her;
See this donkey passing here below:
It belongs to crony, we will perch her on it;
Throwing far from here a bit clod,
The beautiful Child we are looking for we will find.
(Arrival to the cabin.) |
10th verse |
Bèu rei de gloria, en que stat iéu vous trouvi :
Su un pòu de pàia, dòu Ciel lou Fatour ;
O ! Que plesì... O ! Que pena que prouvi,
Es un countraste, ma es prouva d’amour.
O, regeneratour oumble, v’adouri ;
Acetas lou couòr d’un paure pastour. | | Beautiful King of Glory, in what a state I find you:
On a bit straw, [you] of heaven the steward (7);
Oh! What a pleasure... Oh! What a sorrow I suffer,
It’s a contrast, but it’s proof of love.
Oh! Humble regenerator, I worship you;
Accept the heart of a poor shepherd. |
11th verse |
O, beu Jausé, e vous, bella Maria,
Quant vous devès estimà ben urous
De veire avèrada la proufecia
E de gardà un depot tant precious.
Vouòstre noum, bei espous, laudato sia
E sigue ajuda ai moument perilhous. | | Oh! Beautiful Joseph, and you, pretty Mary,
How much you have to estimate you blessed
To see turned out the prophecy
And to hold in trust a so precious deposit.
Thank your names, beautiful couple
And be helped during perilous moments. |
1. Pepin, Pin, pet names for Joseph.
2. Esquilassà, to cry out in joy with a high-pitched voice.
3. Pahoun, pavoun, peacock.
4. Lagramua, wall lizard.
5. In Christian tradition, Anne is the mother of the Virgin Mary.
6. Trancas, suffix -as is demeaning: imagine for instance a muddy trench.
7. Fatour (maker, builder) means here steward.
| Bibliography | | • | 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. 142-143. | | • | Toselli Jean-Baptiste, Rapport d’une conversation sur le dialecte niçois, Nice, Ch. Cauvin, 1864, p. 123-124. | | • | revue Armanac niçart, Nice, 1903, p. 91-93. | | • | revue Nice historique, Nice, n° 1, 1914, p. 61 ; n° 4, 1920, p. 73 ; n° 3, 1938, p. 72. |
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