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La Boutilla
(The Bottle)
Nissart lyrics by Eugène Emanuel. Traditional from County of Nice.
À qu noun plas lou vin, que Diéu li leve l’aiga
| 1st verse |
Es la boutilla
Que ben souven mi fa cantà,
E ingrat bessaï mi creserìa,
Se non m’àudesse mai parlà
De la boutilla. | | It’s the bottle
That often makes me sing,
And ungrateful may be I could be believed
If I was never be heard talking
About the bottle. |
2nd verse |
Una boutilla
Fa de savent, fa de guerrié;
L’istoria dei tem justifia
Que suorton lu plus bei laurié
D’una boutilla. | | A bottle
Makes scientists, makes warriors;
History of old days justifies
That come out the most beautiful laurels
From a bottle. |
3rd verse |
A la boutilla
Lu Roman devon lu bei cant
D’un gran poëta, d’un genìa (1);
Saben que Orassi era gourmant
De la boutilla. | | To the bottle
Romans owe the beautiful cantos
Of a great poet, a genius;
We know that Horace (2) was fond
Of the bottle. |
4th verse |
Sensa boutilla,
Sensa son fraïre cogordon,
Dièmi cenque devendrìa
Un sordà, davan lo canon,
Sensa boutilla? | | Without a bottle,
Without its brother cougourdon,
Let me know what would become
A soldier, in front of a cannon,
Without a bottle? |
5th verse (3) |
En la boutìa
Giove coscriç e viei troupiè
Trovon courage e vigorìa;
En lo bivac, en lo cartiè
Ven la boutìa. | | In the bottle
Young conscript and old private
Find bravery and vigour;
At bivouac, in barracks
Comes the bottle. |
6th verse |
Sensa boutilla
L’ome era un brut; Noë tamben.
Un jou diguet a la familla:
“Nàutre, pichoui, per vièure ben,
Bèuguen boutilla!” | | Without the bottle
Man was wicked; Noah (4) also.
One day, he said to his family:
“We children, for well live,
Let’s drink [the] bottle!” |
7th verse |
A la boutilla
Recourre lo pàure mesquin:
Un malurous que devendrìa,
Se non neguesse lu chacrin
En la boutilla? | | To the bottle
Resorts the poor destitute:
A wretch wouldn’t he become
If he didn’t drown his sorrows
In the bottle? |
8th verse |
Una boutilla
Fa cessà li desunion,
Li a odi que resisterìa
En véen sàuta lo bouchon
D’una boutilla? | | A bottle
Makes the dissensions cease,
What abhorrence would resist
Seeing pull the cork out
Of a bottle? |
9th verse |
Una boutilla,
En touti li solennità,
Còu que rallegre la familla;
Non li a nuoça o batejà
Sensa boutilla. | | A bottle,
In all formal occasions,
Has to gladden the family;
There is no wedding or baptism
Without a bottle. |
10th verse (5) |
A la boutìa
Meme una bella rende onour,
Sau che pou fa de maravìa
Un picion det dòu dous licour
De la boutìa. | | To the bottle
Even a belle does the honours,
She knows that can does wonders
A little drop of the sweet liquor
Of the bottle. |
11th verse (6) |
De la boutilla
A scrich, en grec, un grave àutour,
Que Amour, per fà de maravìa,
Trempa li flécha àu dous liquour
De la boutilla. | | About the bottle
Has written, in Greek, a serious author,
That Love (7), to work wonders,
Dips his arrows in the sweet liqueur
Of the bottle. |
12th verse |
Una boutilla,
L’iver nen dona la calou,
L’estièu nen leva la pepìa;
Sies un beson de cada jou,
Bella boutilla! | | A bottle,
In winter gives us heat,
In summer takes away from us terrible thirst;
You are a need every other day,
Nice bottle! |
13th verse |
Bella boutilla,
Permette que ti celebren;
Tu n’en dispenses allegrìa,
Espoir, vigor, contentamen,
Bella boutilla! | | Nice bottle,
Let we celebrate you;
You dispense to us elation,
Hope, robustness, contentment,
Nice bottle! |
14th verse |
Bella boutilla,
Dai tièu amic ten toujou luen
Li pena, la malinconìa.
Fai que jouissen per longtem
De la boutilla. | | Nice bottle,
From your friends you always keep away
Sorrows, melancholy.
Let we could enjoy for a long while
The bottle. |
15th verse |
Una boutilla
Un jou, souta d’un bèu bosquet
En un’allegra compagnìa,
M’inspiret aquestu couplet
Su la boutilla. | | A bottle
One day, beneath a lovely grove,
In cheerful company,
Inspired me to write these verses
About the bottle. |
1. TOSELLI gives here: Dòu plus sublime dei genla (From the most sublime of the geniuses).
2. Orassi: Horace, Latin poet.
3. In TOSELLI only.
4. In the Christian tradition, Noah was the first wine grower and the first human to get drunk. Bible, Old Testament, the Book of Genesis, 9.20-24.
5. In TOSELLI only.
6. In Armanac niçart only.
7. The god of Love, i.e. Eros of Greeks or Cupid of Latins.
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