| |
Lu Tres Embriac  
(The Three Drunkards)
Nissart lyrics and music by Georges Delrieu. Traditional from County of Nice.
Watercolour by Gustav Adolf Mossa published in Souta l’oulivié (“Under the olive tree”) by Georges Delrieu and Henri Carol, éd. Delrieu frères, to illustrate Lu Tres Embriac. | | 1st verse |
A Duranus es la festa,
Lou travai ès acabat.
La jouventur’ es jà lesta
Sur la plaça ’mbé l’abat.
De cavagna de li jouola,
Un mouloun de musicant,
De mourtairès sus li couola
Que peteon bèu d’incant. | | At Duranus, it’s the feast,
The work is finished.
The youth is already ready
On the square with the abat-mage.
Baskets full of cockades,
A lot of musicians,
Mortars (1) in the hills
Going off with rapture. |
Chorus |
Sien intrat en la beguda
Doun van béure lu lipet ;
Aven toui bouona tenguda
E magara bouona set ! | | We came in the refreshment room
Were go and drink the thirsty ones;
We all have good manners
And may be good thirst! |
2nd verse |
Un autre
Ai laissat la frem’en gleia,
Pi l’aspera lou poulas
Sus d’un pessuc de brouteia ;
Stoù matin aura la pas !
A l’entour de la boutiha,
Me d’amic, un bouon paréu,
Si gardèn de la pepiha,
Lou gavai es un bournèu ! | | An other
I left my wife at church,
Then the chicken waits her
On a pinch of twigs;
This morning, I’ll have peace!
Around the bottle,
With friends, a real pair,
We guard against a terrible thirst,
The throat is a pipe (2)! |
3rd verse |
Un autre
Ai rèn dich a la miéu frema ;
Adaise m’en sièu vengut.
Ai bèn pòu qu’aici s’estreme !
Ma, tant pis, aurai bèugut !
Coura sièn a la beveta
Chiman pura lou braquet.
Fa mai bèn qu’una saeta,
Qu’un jus de camba-rousset ! | | An other
I don’t say anithing to my wife;
Slowly, I came.
I’m afraid she hides here!
But, never mind, I’ll have drink!
When we are in the refreshment room
We taste however the braquet (3).
It does more good than an arrow,
Than juice of pellitory (4)! |
4th verse |
— Ma qu vèn per la carièra ?
— Soun li frema, n’an trovat.
— Ganta sola’n la fenièra !
Sièn perdut, sièn pessugat.
— Léu ! Un tomou de gazusa !
— Lu gotou, cambia-lu léu !
— Faguèn mai prova de rusa,
Siguèn pai couma d’agnèu. | | — But, who is coming in the street?
— They are the women, they found us.
— Let’s escape to the attic!
That’s our undoing, we are caught.
— Quick! A bottle of fizzy (5)!
— The glasses, change them quickly!
— Let’s prove our trick,
Let’s be as quiet as lambs. |
5th verse |
Li frema
— De gazusa sus la taula ?
Regarjas aquelu nas !
— Noun dihès una paraula,
Sentès lou vin a cent pas.
— Es ahura qu’anan rire !
Vous cresavas aici quiet ?
— Poudès faire, poudès dire,
Lou mourtié sente l’aiet. | | The women
— Fizzy drink on the table?
Look at those noses!
— Don’t say any word,
You smell the wine at one hundred paces.
— It’s now we are going to laugh!
You thought you were quiet here?
— You can do, you can say,
The mortar smells garlic. |
6th verse |
Li frema
— Souorterès de la beguda,
Manega de sensa pièch !
Aluchas esta tenguda,
Poudès mancou teni drech !
Lu embriac
— Souorterèn de la beguda
Counouissuda dai lipet !
Se n’en manca de tenguda,
Aven encara proun set !
(Noun n’en manca pas lou set.) | | The women
— You will go out the refreshment room,
Band of cowards!
Look these manners,
You can’t stand bolt upright!
The drunkards
We will go out the refreshment room
Known by drunkards!
If we miss good manners,
We feel quite enough thirsty again!
(We don’t miss thirst.) |
1. A kind of firecracker.
2. Bournèu: clay pipe.
3. A type of vine of great repute. See also San-Rouman-de-Belet.
4. Camba-rousset: pellitory-of-the-wall.
5. Fizzy drink (water), may be lemonade. For tòmou, see La Mieu Bella Nissa.
| Bibliography | | • | Delrieu (Georges), Anthologie de la chanson niçoise (Anthology of the Song from Nice), Nice, publisher Delrieu & Co, 1960, p. 74-75. | | • | 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. 262-263. |
Back music page - Top
© 2001-2024 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.
|
