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Nouvé dai courpouracioun  
(Christmas carol of the guilds)
Traditional Christmas carol from County of Nice.
This Christmas carol is taken from the Presèpi nissart (The Nissart Crib).
| 1st verse |
O bergeretta, per camin
Fès una faissa (1) au Bambin.
Fès-la-li laugeretta
Per poudé ben faissà (1)
Li siéu belli cambeta. | | O! [little] shepherdess, on the way
Do a flannel blanket for the small child.
Make it light for him
For well wrapping
His beautiful small legs. |
2nd verse |
Belli fiha dòu couissin,
Fès de beretin au Bambin.
Fès-lu-li de peloucha,
Tout autour, per amour,
Mettès-li la simounsa. | | Beautiful girls from the cushion (2),
Do [small] bonnets for the small child.
Make them stuffed (3) for him,
All around, with love,
Put them the border. |
3rd verse |
E san Jousé, qu’èra fustié,
Li a fach un bèu pichin brès.
Li a fach de tauleta,
Tout autour, per amour,
Li a mès de brasseta. | | And saint Joseph, who was carpenter,
Made him a beautiful and small crib.
He made it for him with small boards,
All around, with love,
He put to it undershirts. |
4th verse |
E vautre, pichoui sabatié,
Fès-li un parèu de soulié.
Fès-lu-li de vedella,
Ben coupat, preparat
À la moda nouvella. | | And all of you, little cobblers (4),
Do for him a pair of shoes.
Make them for him with [leather of] heifer,
Well cut, prepared
In new fashion. |
5th verse |
E barba Toni Rabufèu (5)
Li a pourtat un quartié d’agnéu.
L’a pourtat de la boucheria
À Jesù, à Jousé,
À la Vierge Maria. | | And uncle Tony Rabufèu
Carried him a chunk of lamb.
He carried it from the butcher’s
To Jesus, to Joseph,
To the Virgin Mary. |
1. Faissà, to strap up; faissa, strap for babies, i.e. swaddling clothes.
2. Address to “pretty girls who make (or embroide) cushions, headdresses...”, i.e. to dressmakers or embroideresses.
3. “Fluff”, ferpa or felpa (Old French feupe, fringe).
4. Sabatié: shoemaker.
5. According to Georges Delrieu, Toni Rabufèu was verger.
| Bibliography | | • | Delrieu (Georges), Anthologie de la chanson niçoise (Anthology of the Song from Nice), Nice, publisher Delrieu & Co, 1960, p. 241. | | • | 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. 187. | | • | revue Lou Sourgentin, Nice, n° 194, décembre 2010, p. 35. |
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