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Nouvé de Jan-Antounin  
(Christmas carol for John Tony)
Traditional Christmas carol from County of Nice.
This Christmas carol is taken from the Presèpi nissart (The Nissart Crib).
| 1st verse |
Jan Antounin, pren ta flahuta
E iéu prendrai lou tambourin.
Anèn en aquella cahuta
Adourà aquèu bèu Bambin.
Andrèn toucà l’aubada
En aquell’ acouchada.
S’es acouchada d’un bèu fièu
Que si souona l’Enfan de Dièu. | | John-Antonine, take your flute
And I will take my tambourine.
Let us go to this hut
And worship this beautiful small child.
We will go and serenade
The new mother.
She gives birth to a beautiful son
Whose name is the Child of God. |
2nd verse |
Coura siguèron à la pouòrta
Accoumencèron de picà.
San Jousé mé sa longa barba
Souòrte per li faire taisà :
« Ah ! Taisa-vous, grapanta,
Faguès pas tant duranta,
Que lou pichoun es à durmì,
E noun faguès pas tant de bruit. » | | When they got to the door
They started knocking.
Saint Joseph, with his long beard,
Comes out to make them quiet:
“O! Shut up, you scoundrel,
Don’t make such a row,
The boy is sleeping,
And don’t make such a noise.” |
3rd verse |
Lou pichoun que noun pens’ au vici,
Lou pichoun que noun pens’ à mau,
N’a mourdut lou det de sa maire,
Pensa li faire gès de mau.
L’Enfant si bout’ à rire,
La Vierge à sourire
E San Jòusé, plèn de bountà,
Risia d’un autre coustà. | | The boy, who thinks not of vice,
The boy, who thinks not of evil,
Bit his mother’s finger,
Thinking he doesn’t hurt her.
The Child start laughing,
The Virgin smiling
And Saint Joseph, full of kindness,
Laughed as well. |
4th verse |
Die-mi, Moussù de la gleia,
Se la miéu vous v’agrada pas.
Se moun avous es pas tròu clara
Es perqu’ai manjat de nougà.
N’en sièu ja las de dire,
La messa si va dire,
N’en sièu ja las de cantà,
E lou nouvé es acabà. | | Tell me, sirs of the Church,
If you don’t like my voice.
If my voice is not clear,
It’s because I have eaten nougat.
I’m already weary of saying,
The mass is about to start,
I’m already tired of singing,
And the carol is over. |
| Bibliography | | • | Delrieu (Georges), Anthologie de la chanson niçoise (Anthology of the Song from Nice), Nice, publisher Delrieu & Co, 1960, p. 230-231. | | • | revue Nice historique, Nice, n° 1, 1914, p. 62, 201 ; n° 4, 1920, p. 77. |
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