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Nouvé nouvèu  
(New Christmas carol)
or Ausse-ti, frema (Get up, wife)
Nissart lyrics and music by Louis Genari. Traditional from County of Nice.
| 1st verse |
— Ausse-ti, frema !
Vièste-ti bèn !
Un ange crida
Qu’a Betelèn,
En un presèpi,
Lou Messia ’s bèu nat
E qu’una ’stela
Ver éu n’en guiderà ! | | — Get up, wife!
Let well dress!
An angel is shouting
That in Bethlehem,
In a crib,
The Messiah is well born
And that a star
To him will guide us! |
2nd verse |
— Va-li, moun ome,
Iéu rèsti aqui.
Siou ben troù vièia
Per t’assegui.
S’es un miracle
Lou veirès toui ensèn ;
Parte mei autre,
Avau, vèr Betelèn. | | — Go there, my husband,
Me, I stay here.
I’m really too old
To follow you.
If it’s a miracle
You will see it all together;
Set off with others,
Down there, to Bethlehem. |
3rd verse |
— Douna pan, barla,
Cèrca ’n agnèu.
Luse un bèl astre
Couma ’n soulèu.
Tu, fai la garda
Dintre e fouora maioun ;
Nautre en viage
S’enanan dau pichoun. » | | — Give me bread, a keg (1),
Go and get a lamb.
It’s twinkling a star
Like a sun.
You, be on duty
Inside and outside the house;
We people, on a trip
We are going (to the) little child.” |
4th verse |
Marchon que marchon !
Soun arribat.
Un vieil estable
An atrouvà.
Su ’n poù de paia
N’es courcat lou bambin,
Lou boù e l’aë
Lou rescaufon vesin. | | They go on and they go on!
They are arrived.
An old cowshed
They have found.
On a bit of straw
Is laying the small child,
The ox and the donkey
Warm him up, nearby. |
5th verse |
Misèricordia !
Que pauretà !
Rèn qu’una grùpia
Per l’assoustà.
Tounut escasi
Su lou jas déu durmi !
Qu pourria dire
Qu’un diéu repauva aiçi ? | | Mercy!
What a poverty!
Only a manger
To shelter him.
Scarcely naked
On the litter he has to sleep!
Who could say
A god is resting here? |
6th verse |
Lu bergié ièntron
Mei siéu presènt.
Eu si reviha
En lu audèn,
E eu de lu veire,
Su lou coù, a toui ri
Couma se n’èron
De toujou bouoi amic. | | The shepherds go in
With their gifts.
He wakes up
Hearing them,
And he, seeing them,
Outright, to all laughs
As if they were
From always good friends. |
7th verse |
Pi s’aginouion
En l’adouran.
Eu remercia
Eme la man !
Au siéu front tendre
Fa courouna ’na lus :
Soulet poù èstre
Lou bambin Diéu Jesu. | | Then they bow
Worshiping him.
He thanks
With his hand!
On his tender forehead
He makes a light encircle:
Alone can be
The small child God Jesus. |
8th verse |
La Vierge Maire
Lou piha ai bra
E noun s’apaga
De lou baià.
A lou couor gounfla
D’esperança e d’amour
E pura ’s grèva
De noun sau que timour ! | | The Virgin Mother
Takes him (in her) arms
And doesn’t soothe her
Kissing him.
She has her heart bursting with
Hope and love
And yet it is burdened
By not knowing of what fear! |
9th verse |
La paioulada
Si souvèn proun
De l’anounçada
De l’ange blount !
Una mesquina
Partouri lou vèr Diéu !
Que destinada
Per la maire e lou fiéu. | | The new mother
Sufficiently remembers
The announcement
Of the fair angel!
A wretched
Childbirth [for] the true God!
What a destiny
For the mother and the son. |
10th verse |
Lou gran mistèri
De la siéu car
Mai la tourmenta
Per l’enfan car.
Mèstre doù mounde
E tra lu ome
Qu mai lou crèsedà ? | | The great mystery
Of her own flesh
More torments her
For the dear child.
Master of the world
And among mankind
Who would believe more? |
11th verse |
Tamben lu pastre
Provon un afan.
O que belessa
D’aquel enfan !
Ma ’n que misèria
L’inoucènt es loujat !
Couma doulènta
La siéu maire es dejà ! | | So the shepherds
Feel an insult.
Oh! What a beauty
[The one] of this child!
But what a poverty
The innocent is living in!
How doleful
Her mother is already! |
12th verse |
Pi s’arecampon
Cadun au siéu.
— Duèrbe, ma frema,
Duèrbe, siou iéu !
De bouona soupa
Fa-mi leù un platas,
Que de la routa
Iéu mi senti ben las ! | | Then they go back
Everyone home.
— Open, my wife,
Open, it’s me!
A good soup
Make quickly for me a [large] dish,
Because with the road
Me, I feel very weary! |
13th verse |
— Manja, moun ome !
Ma que li a
Que ti descouores
E vas plourà ?
— Ah ! Frema, frema,
Fa pietà çèn qu’ai vist !
Li a ren su terra
De plu paure que Crist ! | | — Eat, my husband!
But what’s the matter?
You are discolouring
And going to weep?
— Ah! Wife, wife,
[This] was pitiful what I’ve seen!
There is nothing on Earth
Poorer than Christ! |
14th verse |
— Paue-ti, manja,
Que siès tan las !
Deman, adaise,
Mi cuènteras.
— Ve, ’n la pauriha
S’es naissut nouostre Diéu,
Es que prefèra
Qu sofre couma éu ! | | — Rest, eat,
You are so tired!
Tomorrow, calmly,
You will tell me.
— See, in poverty
If he was born our God,
It’s because he prefers
Who suffers as he does! |
15th verse |
— Pisque me nautre
Voù ben pati,
Deven lou creire
E lou servi !
— Aco ’s vèr, frema !
Dounèn-li nouostre couor !
Que joia e pena
Partegen viéu e mouort ! | | — Since with us
He want to suffer,
We have to believe him
And serve him!
— That’s true, wife!
Let’s give him our heart!
Joy and sorrow
Let’s share, alive and dead! |
16th verse |
— Moun ome, es tardi,
Coù repauà !
L’un aprè l’autre
L’anèn prega,
Per que n’assiste
En lu marrit moumen
E n’en mantengue
En pas e sauvamen. » | | — My husband, it’s late,
We have to rest!
The one after the other
We will pray him,
For he assists us
Within difficult times
And he keeps us
In peace and salvation.” |
1. Barla: keg, small portable barrel of oval section (while the botareu, “small cask”, is of circular section).
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