| |
La Nissarda  
(The Song for Nice)
Nissart lyrics and music by Émile Negrin. Traditional from County of Nice.
This song was composed in 1860, on the occasion of the second annexation of the County of Nice to the France, and proposes a very francophile view.
| 1st verse |
Doun li seria ’n autra villa
Vestida de tantu palmié,
Mai que tu aimabl’ e gentia
Ai mès de decembr’ e janvié ?
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | Where could be another town
Clothed with such palm trees,
More than you amiable and kind
On December and January?
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
Chorus |
O Nissa, Nissa, o bella Nissa,
Dau mounde lou premié sejour,
Couma nouostre maire nourissa,
Dai nouostre couor as tout l’amour. | | O Nice, Nice, o beautiful Nice,
In the world the first stay,
As our nourishing mother,
From our hearts you get the whole love. |
2nd verse |
Lou tiéu soulèu d’or sus li couola
Couma l’ueil dòu bouon Diéu relus.
La gèn malauta, que n’ès fouola,
Bast’ à lou veire souffre plus,
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | Your golden sun on the hills,
As God’s eye shines.
Ill people, who are crazy about it,
Just seeing it no more suffer,
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
3rd verse |
Lu tiéu jardin coumblon d’ourange,
Ancuei, noun as minga brouillard
E la Vierge a fach calà d’ange
Per dounà noum à la tiéu mar,
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | Your gardens fill themselves with oranges,
Today, you doesn’t get mist
And the Virgin does angels go down
To give [a] name to your sea (1),
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
4th verse |
Veguesson li tiéu bruni fiha
Qu’an de chivus tant lonc e dous,
Lu amant de la Circassie
N’en devendrion envious,
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | If they could see your brown girls
With so long and fine hair,
The lovers from Circasia (2)
Would become envious,
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
5th verse |
Dai prince, dai rei siès aimada
E finda dai imperatour.
Coura arribon, cada invernada,
Li gardes de gouòrba de flou,
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | By princes, by kings you are loved
And also by emperors.
When they come, each Winter (3),
You keep for them baskets of flowers,
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
6th verse |
Doui ome de gran impourtança
En li tiéu bourgada soun nat :
Massèna, que sauvet la França,
Garibaldi, lou fier sourdà.
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | Two important men
In your villages are born:
Masséna, who saved France,
Garibaldi, the proud soldier,
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
7th verse |
Tambèn, luèn de li tiéu campagna,
Quand lou tiéu cant vèn retrounà,
Una tristessa toui n’en gagna
En l’entendèn cau retournà,
O Nissa, bella Nissa. | | So, far away from your countries,
When your singing comes and ring,
A sadness is creeping over all of us,
Hearing it we have to return [towards you],
O Nice, beautiful Nice. |
1. The Baie des Anges.
2. The old name of the countryside located on the North slope of the Caucasus range.
3. Invernada, the content, the duration of Winter.
Back music page - Top
© 2001-2024 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.
|
