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La fe coumando de crèire   , (bis)
(Faith commands to believe)
Lyrics and music by Nicolas Saboly, known as Micoulau Sabòli. Traditional from Provence.
This Christmas carol has been published on 1670 in the 4th book. This book indicates “nouvé vièi pèr empli lou cahié” (old Christmas carol to fill the book). It appears with number 32 in the Fr. Seguin’s new edition.
| 1st verse |
La fe coumando de crèire
Ce que noun couneissèn pas
Sènso dire : « Iéu vole vèire »
Coume disié sant Toumas.
Tous lei mort dòu çamentèri
N’en rèn vist dins lei mistèri
E jamai gis d’ome viéu
Saura lei secrèt de Diéu. | | Faith commands to believe
What we don’t know
Without saying: “I want to see”
As was saying Saint Thomas.
All the dead in the graveyard
Have seen nothing in the mysteries
And never no alive man
Will know God’s secrets. |
2nd verse |
Sènso leis ange e leis astre
Qu’an di que Diéu èro na,
Ni lei mage ni lei pastre
L’aurien jamai devina.
Pèr cacha la couneissènço
De sa divino neissènço,
A vougu naisse la nue,
Lorsqu’aurian sarra leis ue. | | Without angels and stars
Who have said that God was born,
Neither the Magi nor the shepherds
Could guess that.
To hide knowledge
Of his divine birth,
He has wanted to be born [during] the night,
When we would have shut our eyes. |
3rd verse |
Quand pren Marìo pèr maire,
Mostro soun umanita ;
Quand pren Jòusè pèr soun paire,
Cacho sa divinita.
Quand vèn naisse dins l’estable,
N’es que pèr troumpa lou diable,
Que noun s’imagino pas
Qu’un Diéu naisse dins un jas. | | When he takes Mary as his mother,
He shows his humanity;
When he takes Joseph to [be] his father,
He hides his divinity.
When he comes to be born in the cowshed,
It’s only to trick the devil,
Who doesn’t imagine
A God [could] be born in a shelter. |
4th verse |
Pèr counèisse sa naturo
E sei bèllei qualita,
Fau vèire dins l’Escrituro
Lei présent que li an pourta :
L’or, segound que dis l’istòri,
Mostro qu’es un rèi de glòri
E la mirro emé l’encèn
Qu’es ome e Diéu tout ensèn. | | To know his nature
And his beautiful qualities,
We have to see in the Scripture
The gifts brought him:
Gold, according to what history says,
Shows he is a king of glory
And myrrh with incense
That he is both man and God together. |
5th verse |
Si Diéu nous fasié la gràci
Qu’un jour, dins lou fiermamen,
Pousquessian vèire sa fàci,
Dirian veritablamen
Que lei mort dòu çamentèri
N’an rèn vist dins lei mistèri
E jamai gis d’ome viéu
Saura lei secrèt de Diéu. | | If God granted us favour
That a day, in the firmament,
We would be capable to see his face,
We would really say
That the dead in the graveyard
Have seen nothing in the mysteries
And never no alive man
Will know God’s secrets. |
| Bibliography | | • | Saboly (Nicolas), Histori de la naissenso dou Fis de Diou composado en noé (History of God’s Son birth composed in Christmas carols), Pierre Offray printer, Avignon, 1670, p. 14-16. | | • | Recueil des noëls composés en langue provençale (Collection of Christmas carols composed in Provençal language), reprint Fr. Seguin, printer and bookseller, Avignon, 1856, p. 38-39. |
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