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Lou Roumaniéu  
(The Rosemary)
Nissart lyrics by Jouan Nicola, music by Marius Ausello.
| 1st verse |
En lu camin de la mountagna,
Damoun, ai pènta dòu Ferioun,
Un perfum mounta dai campagna,
Courr’ en lu prat pi en lu valloun ;
Escoundut entra la baragna,
Lou roumaniéu fa de massetoun.
Tra lu pin, lu roucas sauvage,
Siès una planta dòu bouon Dièu.
Lou Nissart n’en fa bouon usage,
Perfum de l’estièu... bèu roumaniéu ! | | By the lanes in the mountain,
Up there, on the slopes of the Mount Ferion (1),
A perfume goes up from the countries,
Runs through the meadows then the small valleys;
Hidden between the hedges,
The rosemary makes small bunches.
Between the pine trees, the large wild rocks,
You are a Lord’s plant.
The Nice inhabitant makes a good use of it,
Scent of the summer... beautiful rosemary! |
2nd verse |
Lou viei que mounta sus li couola
Serca, tra li flou de sesoun,
Embé lou sacoun sus l’espala,
Li erba que pouorton guerisoun.
Ma cada sera que s’en cala
A de roumaniéu per la maioun !
Bèn souvent, de belli filleta,
Anèn ai festin de l’estiéu,
Au courset metton, couquetta,
Un bèu bouquetoun de roumaniéu. | | The old man climbing on the hills
Looks, between the seasonal flowers,
With his small bag over one shoulder,
For the herbs that bring recovery.
But each evening he goes down
He gets rosemary for home!
Very often, pretty young girls,
Going to the summer feasts,
On their bodice put, coquettish,
A beautiful small rosemary bunch. |
3rd verse |
Dòu tem de la regina Jouana,
Si counouisset lou roumaniéu
Per gari me la siéu tisana
Lou mau de piech, de l’abaréu...
En lou lapin, ma paura nana
Toujour mettìa de roumaniéu.
Anèn, amic, en la mountagna,
Sigue d’iver o ben d’estiéu,
Respirà l’er pur dai campagna
Coura flourisse lou roumaniéu. | | In the days of Queen Jane,
The rosemary was known
To cure with its tisane
Chest complaint, stomach upset...
In the rabbit, my poor grannie (2)
Always was putting rosemary.
Let’s go, friends, on the mountain,
Should it be winter or summer,
And breathe the pure country air
When blossoms the rosemary. |
Coda |
Coulina de la miéu Nissa
Doun soun naissut toui lu miéu,
Faguès mountà en l’er proupissa
Lou perfum tant dous e vièu
Dòu roumaniéu. | | Hills of my Nice
Where was born all of mine,
Let go up in the propitious air
The perfume so sweet and lively
Of the rosemary. |
1. The Ferion range (summit 1.412 meters) delimits district of Levens on West from districts of Bendejun and Coaraze on East.
2. Nana: grannie, affectionate diminutive for “grandmother”.
| Bibliography | | • | Delrieu (Georges), Anthologie de la chanson niçoise (Anthology of the Song from Nice), Nice, publisher Delrieu & Co, 1960, p. 132-133. | | • | 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. 236-237. |
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