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Nouvé grassenc
(Christmas carol from Grasse)
Traditional from Provence.
Christmas carol based on the tune Quand la mer Rouge apparut (When the Red Sea appeared).
| 1st verse |
Felipe, emé soun courrié,
Venié de la Gardo (1).
Tout d’un còu vers Sant-Varié (2),
Planto sa guimbardo.
Entènd uno vous d’en aut
Qu’ei dis : « Souflo toun fanau
E vai di, di, di,
E vai re, re, re,
E vai di,
E vai re,
E vai dire ei pastre
De suivre aquel astre. » | | Philip, on his mail coach,
Came from la Garde.
Suddenly, near St Vallier,
He stops his old banger.
He hears a voice from up in the sky
Saying: “Blow your lantern
And go te, te, te,
And go ell, ell, ell,
And go te,
And go ell,
And go tell the shepherds
To follow this star.” |
2nd verse |
Lou vièi Felipe estouna
Enausso la tèsto,
Vé lou ciel illumina
Coumo un jour de fèsto.
Alor parte vers la mar
En cridant ei mountagnard
E toui lei ma, ma,
E toui lei sa, sa,
Toui lei ma,
Toui lei sa,
E toui lei masage
Qu’a sus soun passage. | | Surprised, the old Philip
Raises his head,
Sees the sky illuminated
As [for] a feastday.
So he leaves for the sea
Shouting to the mountain people
And [at] all the ham, ham,
And [at] all the lets, lets,
All the ham,
All the lets,
And [at] all the hamlets
He founds on his way. |
3rd verse |
Sei Grassenc soun sei premié
À si metre en routo.
Aganton sou fassumié
E meton clau souto.
Cu si cargo de parfum,
Cu si cargo de fassum
E de fou, fou, fou,
E de ga, ga, ga,
E de fou,
E de ga,
E de fougasseto
Pèr fa la sauceto. | | The villagers from Grasse are the first
To get under way.
They take the fassumié (3)
And put the key under it.
One loads perfume,
One loads fassum
And fou, fou, fou,
And ga, ga, ga,
And fou,
And ga,
And fougassettes (4)
To dip in wine. |
4th verse |
Vaqui veni lei Mouanenc
Drech coumo de cierge.
Soun toutei carga de sèn
Pèr pourta à la Vierge.
Sabon qu’en gachant darrié
Tout lou sèn s’escaparié.
Viron pas, pas, pas,
Viron la, la, la,
Viron pas,
Viron la,
Viron pas la tèsto
E lou sèn li rèsto. | | Here are coming the people from Mouans (5)
As stiff as candles.
All are full of [common] sense
To give the Virgin.
They know that if they look back
Their whole [common] sense would escape.
[So] they don’t, don’t, don’t turn
They don’t their, their, their,
They don’t turn,
They don’t their,
They don’t turn their heads
And the [common] sense stays. |
5th verse |
De Mougins an toui sourti
Coumo poudès crèire,
Mai quand soun a Tournami
Si viron pèr vèire
S’es bèn verai que Mougins
Es pu bèu fouòro que dins
Vo s’es un òu, òu,
Vo s’es un tra, tra,
S’es un òu,
S’es un tra,
Vo s’es un òutrage
Qu’an fach au vilage. | | From Mougins, they came out
As you can believe,
But when they get to Tournamy (6)
They turn round to see
If it’s true that Mougins
Is prettier from outside than from inside
Or if it’s an in, in,
Or if it’s a sult, sult,
If it’s an in,
If it’s a sult,
Or if it’s an insult
Made to their village. |
6th verse |
Lei Bioutenc à Betelèn
Van pèr rèndre glòri
E li pouòrton pèr presènt
De jarro pèr l’òli.
Pouòrton aussi de jarroun
Pèr coula lei pedassoun
Pèr quand l’a, l’a, l’a,
Pèr quand l’acou, cou,
Pèr quand l’a,
Pèr quand cou,
Pèr quand l’acouchado
Fara la bugado. | | The Biotois (7) to Bethlehem
Are going to glorify [Jesus]
And bring him as gifts
Oil jars.
They bring also small jars
For “flowing (8)” the diapers
For when the mo, mo, mo,
For when the ther, ther,
For when the mo,
For when the ther,
For when the new mother
Will do the washing. |
7th verse |
Castèunòu s’es assembla
Au soun dei campano.
Pourtaran doui sa de blad
Cuhi dins la plano
E quauqui bariéu de vin
Dòu plantié dòu medecin.
Puis musi, si, si,
Puis muco, co, co,
Puis musi,
Puis muco,
Puis musico en tèsto
Parton pèr la fèsto. | | [The people from] Châteauneuf (9) gathered
At the sound of bells.
They will bring two sacks of wheat
Plucked in the plain
And some barrels of wine
From the doctor’s vine.
Then musi, si, si,
Then music, sic, sic,
Then musi,
Then music,
Then music leading
They leave to the feast. |
8th verse |
Lei canoun de Plascassié
An fa la bravado.
Lou cura, lou counseié
Tènon assemblado.
An decida de pourta
Lei cors-sant de sant Dounat
E de sant, sant, sant,
E de Bra, Bra, Bra,
E de sant,
E de Bra,
E de sant Brancàci
Per demanda gràci. | | The canons of Plascassier (10)
Announced the news.
The priest, the counsellor
Assemble for a meeting.
They decided to bring
The relics of Saint Donat (11)
And of Saint, Saint, Saint,
And of Pan, Pan, Pan,
And of Saint,
And of Pan,
And of Saint Pancrace
To request grace. |
9th verse |
D’en tout païs, d’en tout lùou
Ven de caravano,
À pèd, sus d’ai, sus de muou,
Toutei van vers Cano.
Lei patroun sus sei batèu
Embarcon aquéu troupèu
E toutei fan, fan,
E toutei ve, ve,
Toutei fan,
Toutei ve,
E toutei fan velo
En suivènt l’estello. | | From the whole countryside, from all localities,
Come caravans,
On foot, riding on donkeys, on mules,
All are going towards Cannes.
The skippers on their boats
Take on board this flock
And all set, set,
And all sail, sail,
All set,
All sail,
And all set sail
Following the star. |
10th verse |
Mai lei paure mountagnard
Dins la traversado
Pau ou proun crègnon la mar
E fan de fusado.
Quant à Felipe, lou couchié,
Noun si crèi fouòro dangié,
Paure mi, mi, mi,
Paure se, se, se,
Paure mi,
Paure se,
Paure miserable,
Qu’en sentènt l’estable. | | But the poor mountain dwellers
In the journey
More or less fear the sea
And “make rockets (12)”.
As for Philip, the coachman,
He only feels safe,
Poor wre, wre, wre,
Poor tch, tch, tch,
Poor wre,
Poor tch,
Poor wretch,
When he gets the smell of cowshed in his nostrils. |
1. A little village located 6 km East from Castellane, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, along the Napoleon Road.
2. St Vallier is located 12 km North-West from Grasse, along the Napoleon Road.
3. Fassumié: the caul, a small net in which the women from Grasse cooked the fassum (the stuffed cabbage), called capoun by Nice inhabitants.
4. Fougasseto: small fougasse, flat bread made with olive oil and flavoured with herbs, olives, etc.
5. Mouanenc: the Mouans-Sartoux inhabitants.
6. Tournami: a suburb in West Mougins.
7. Bioutenc: the people from Biot.
8. The common expression is couli bugada, “I flow the steam” (for “I do the washing”).
9. Official name is currently Châteauneuf-Grasse.
10. Plascassié: hamlet located on the area of Grasse. Parish church name is Saint Pancrace.
11. Sant Dounat: may be the saint hermit withdrew at the bottom of the mountain of Lure.
12. Suddenly started vomiting.
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© 2001-2024 Jean-Gabriel Maurandi.
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