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Nouvé dòu pastre  
(Christmas carol for the shepherd)
Nissart lyrics and music by Louis Genari. Traditional from County of Nice.
| 1st verse |
N’éra, ’mount sus la mountagna,
Souta lu baus, en la nèu,
Una fea per coumpagna
Em’au siéu pichin agnèu,
Dintr’un jas qu’au vent si lagna,
E courcant en lou mantèu,
Qu’un viei pastre de frustagna,
Lou pu paure de l’amèu ! | | There was, up there on the mountain,
Under the rocks, in the snow,
An ewe as mate
With its little lamb,
In a sheepfold which moans in the wind,
And sleeping in the (his) coat,
Only a shepherd in [clothes] threadbare,
The poorest in the hamlet! |
2nd verse |
Quoura parlèron, au masage,
Dòu Diéu nat à Betelèn,
E que toui partion en viage
Per li pourtà de presènt :
« Couma farai, iéu, lou maje,
Diguet èu en s’en venènt,
Per poudé li rèndre oumage,
Iéu, mesquin, que noun ai rèn ? » | | When they spoke, in the hamlet,
Of God born in Bethlehem,
And all of them were setting off on their journey
To carry him gifts:
“How will I do, me, the oldest,
Was he saying when coming,
To be able to pay homage to him,
Me, the destitute, who have nothing?” |
3rd verse |
Ma la nuech, barrant la clea,
Aganta lou siéu bastoun
E s’en parte embé la fea
E lou siéu blanc agneloun !
La bestia pòu li pea
En lou siéu marrit sacoun !
Au ciel l’estela lampea
Que li sierve de guidoun. | | But at night, closing the openwork fence,
He takes his walking stick
And goes with the ewe
And its white little lamb!
The animal doesn’t weigh much to him
In his bad sack!
In the sky, the star makes flashes of lightning
Which serve as guide. |
4th verse |
Per quanti longui nuèchada
A caminat, lou pauras,
Tra li prefoundi valada
E lu puei ferouge e escas !
De carità mau dounada
Vivènt, durmia ai ribas !
La fet li es mai mancada
Ma au fin, couma èra las ! | | For how long nights
Was he walking, the poor,
Across deep valleys
And the wild and narrow summits!
Of charity badly given
He was living, sleeping on the embankments!
Faith never missed him
But in the end, how weary he was! |
5th verse |
Sus lou pas de la jaina,
Estrassat couma un mandiant,
Auguet pòu, me la siéu mina,
D’anà soulbaià l’enfant,
E que la Maire, vesina,
L’escassegue embé la man !
Ma ’na fourça l’entraïna
E s’apressa en tremoulant ! | | In the doorway of the cowshed,
Tattered as a beggar,
He was frightened, because of his appearance,
Of going and kiss the child,
And that the Mother, neighbour,
Brush him away with her hand!
But a strength takes he
And he approaches while trembling! |
6th verse |
Ve lou bambin adourable
Soubre la paia alairat,
Embé sa maire, en l’estable,
E n’es tout adoulourat !
Ma la Vierge, en gèst aimable,
Lou li a lèu presentat !
Eu li di : « Sièu miserable,
Ma cèn qu’ai, lou v’ai pourtat. » | | He sees the sweet small child,
On the straw laying (1),
With his mother, in the cowshed,
And he is afflicted with that!
But the Virgin, with a kind gesture,
Quickly introduced [her son] to him!
He, he says: “I’m destitute,
But all I have, I brought you.” |
7th verse |
Entrant dintre la cabana
Embé l’ae e lou gros bòu,
Agnèu e fea de lana
Li soun agregat dòu còu,
E l’enfant, sensa matana,
Que lou viei li fa pas pòu
M’ai siéu bras li fa coulana
E lou baia tant que pòu. | | Coming in the cabin
With the donkey and the fat ox,
Lamb and wool-ewe
Mixed them straight away,
And the child, without whim,
That the old man doesn’t frighten,
With his arms makes a necklace
And kisses him as long as he can. |
8th verse |
Pi, lou paure mai s’avara
E s’arecampe au siéu touet.
Rèn lou pressa e mai encara,
Si ferma à pregà soulet.
Quoura arriba à li siéu barra,
De li glaça tout es net,
E la prima chèpa e clara
Fa verdura e fa bouquet ! | | Then, the poor man starts out again (2)
And goes back to home (3).
Nothing speeds him up and more,
He stops to pray alone.
When he arrives to his cliffs,
From ice all is cleared,
And warm and clear spring
Makes greenery and bunch! |
9th verse |
Ma que aude ? Quoura passa,
Lou masage es en remoun.
E que vé ? Cadun s’efaça
Denant d’èu, m’amiracioun !
E damount, damount, en plaça
Dòu siéu jas, li a ’na maioun
M’un troupèu de bella raça
De cent fea e cent moutoun. | | But what does he hear? When he passes,
The hamlet makes a great fuss.
And what does he see? Everybody moves aside
From him, with admiration!
And upwards, up there, in place
Of his sheepfold, stands a house
With a flock of good stock
Of hundred ewes and hundred sheep. |
10th verse |
E lou viei, me maraviha
Sènte au couor un sanc nouvèu.
Li revèn ai gauta e briha
Un pel jouve e bloundinèu.
S’aginouia e d’alegria
E d’amour, me tout l’amèu,
Ploura e pi prega Maria
E Jesù, l’Enfant tant bèu. | | And the old man, lost in wonder,
Feels fresh blood into his heart.
Comes back to his cheeks, and glossy,
A young and fair beard.
He kneels down and with elation
And love, with the whole hamlet,
Weeps and pray Mary
And Jesus, the so beautiful Child. |
1. Alairat: speaking about a plant laying on its side.
2. Avarà: to launch a ship.
3. Touet: steep place, eyrie.
| Bibliography | | • | Delrieu (Georges), Anthologie de la chanson niçoise (Anthology of the Song from Nice), Nice, publisher Delrieu & Co, 1960, p. 232-233. | | • | 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. 190-191. |
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