AR VASKARADENN 1. M' ho ped, Spered Santel, roy sklêr'jenn d'am spered, Da c'halloud kompoziñ ur werz orrupl meurbet, Na diwar-benn daou den vit 'r meurlarjez tremenet, Daou den a galite pe-re na hañver ket. 2. Ar re-mañ a veve 'n deboch barzh ar bed-mañ [Barzh un ostaliri er ger deuz a Boullan] Na pa oant erru mezv, 'deus kemeret maskoù Vit mont en noz da redek ['bep-lec'h dre ar ruioù] 3. Posedet oant, siwazh, me gred, gant 'n Drouk-Spered: Unan an'he kroc'henn un ejenn 'n eus lakaet, An eil kroc'henn ur c'havr, hag a larjont neuze: - Ni a zo diaoloù o reiñ brezel da Zoue! - 4. Neuze ez int bet aet dre 'r ruioù da redeg Hag unan anezhe 'n-eus kavet ur beleg ' Vont da gas 'r Zakramant d'un den a oa fall-bras Heuliet 'n-eus anezhañ beteg ti ar c'hlañvour. 5. 'N toull an nor eo chomet, ma lar: - Me eo an diaoul! Evit, pa vi mervet, kas ganin da ene paour! - Ar c"hlañvour 'n e wele 'gomñsas da ouelañ. P'en-eus klevet 'ouelañ, en-eus laret dezhañ: 6. - Tav, tav, na ouelez ket, unan eus ar maskoù A zo deuet d'az kweled [evit reiñ dit spontoù]. - Ar beleg a zizroas eus an den milliget, An osti en e zorn, dezhañ en-eus lâret: 7. - Lam da vask euz da lemm, sell da Doue amañ! Hag araok ma vo deiz, a vi barnet gantañ! - Med an den milliget, gant selloù arrogant, Komzoù vil ha disord rae dirag Doue 'r Sakramant: 8. - Me eo an diaoul, emezhañ , enebour da Zoue, A ray brezel dezhañ , koulz en noz hag en deiz! - P'en eus kement-se lar't, diouzh an ti eo aet, Kerkent war ruioù ker ez eo bet em rentet. 9. Mond ra en avis krial, pa zant a wad o yenañ; D'an douar ez eo kouezhet: marv-mik ez eo bremañ! E gamarad milliget oa dre 'r ruioù o redeg; P'en-eus kavet anezhañ war an douar astennet. 10. - Sav alese buhan, me n'on ket d'az spontañ, Mar karez sevel ni yelo hon daou roulañ! - Med pa wel dioutañ egile na gomz ket, E lem ar mask diwar e vizaj vit hen gweled. 11. P'en-eus gwelet oa marv, e groc'henn n-eus taolet Hag er-maes eus ar vro kerkent ez eo bet aet. 12. Tad ha mamm an den-mañ pa deveus bet klevet Penaoz oa o bugel war 'r pave astennet Hag ar c'hroc'henn ejenn eus e groc'henn staget, Da grial, da ouelañ zo neuze em lakaet: 13. - Posupl 've, ma Doue, ar bugel 'm-eomp ganet 'Rafe deomp 'n disenor, siwazh, da ve'hañ daonet! - Da grial int 'n em lakaet, d'an douar int koue'het, Neuze soudenn ez int war al lec'h desedet!... 14. M'ho ped, mammoù, tadoù, d'instruiñ ho pugale Ha da zeskiñ dezhe abred karoud Doue, Pellaat a bep amzer eus ar gwall gompagnonez, Gant an aon da vezhañ un deiz daonet, siwezh! Kanet gant Loeiz Ar BRAS, gwiader en bourk Prad - 1873. |
LA MASCARADE 1. Envoie-moi ta lumière, Esprit Saint, je t'en prie: Que je puisse chanter l'horrible tragédie Qui frappa deux gredins ce dernier mardi-gras (Et d'honorables gens que l'on ne nomme pas). 2. Nocer était leur plus grand plaisir ici-bas [Ils étaient à l'auberge à Poullan ce soir-là] Des masques ils ont mis, lorsqu'ils furent fins-saouls Pour courir dans la nuit [les rues, un peu partout.] 3. Je crois bien qu'ils étaient possédés du Malin: La peau brune d'un bœuf couvrait le dos de l'un, Et la peau d'une chèvre l'autre malheureux: - Soyons deux diables qui feront la guerre à Dieu!- 4. Les voilà donc courant par les rues de ce bourg. Et l'un d'eux rencontre un prêtre sur son parcours Portant chez un malade le Saint-Sacrement. Il l'a suivi jusqu'à la porte du mourant. 5. Il se poste à l'entrée, dit: - Le diable c'est moi! Je viens emporter ton âme, quand tu mourras! - Le malade en son lit se met à sangloter. En l'entendant pleurer, le traître a déclaré: 6. - Tais-toi, ne pleure pas, c'est un masque qui vient T'informer de ton [épouvantable destin]. - Le prêtre s'est tourné vers cet homme maudit, Tenant l'hostie en main, solennel, il lui dit: 7. - Ôte ton masque et vois: c'est ton Dieu. Tiens-toi prêt! Avant qu'il fasse jour, ce Dieu t'aura jugé! - Mais cet homme maudit au regard arrogant, Blasphème en la présence du Saint Sacrement: 8. - Je suis le diable, dis-je, et de Dieu l'ennemi Qui Lui fera la guerre, et le jour et la nuit! - En proférant ces mots, il quitte la maison, Et sa course il reprend, sans rime ni raison. 9. Il lui prend l'envie de crier, sentant son sang Se glacer! Il s'écroule. Il est mort à présent. Son complice maudit qui courait par les rues; Découvre, sur le sol, sa carcasse étendue. 10. - Debout, vite, je ne viens pas te faire peur; De fêter avec moi viens me faire l'honneur! - Mais quand il voit que l'autre ne lui répond pas, De son visage il ôte son masque et il voit 11. Que son compère est mort. Il jette loin de lui La peau de bête et quitte à jamais pays... 12. Les parents de l'autre lorsqu'ils eurent appris Qu'on avait trouvé mort sur le pavé leur fils Une peau de bœuf collant à sa propre peau, Se mirent à crier et à fondre en sanglots: 13. - Est-il possible que nous ayons engendré Ce fils qui nous fait honte et que l'on sait damné! - Tout en poussant des cris, les deux tombent à terre, Et jamais ces pauvres gens ne se relevèrent!... 14. Il importe, parents, d'apprendre à vos enfants De bonne heure qu'il faut aimer Dieu tendrement Et qu'il faut fuir les mauvaises fréquentations; Qu'ils encourent sinon, hélas, la damnation! Chanté par Louis LE BRAS, tisserand au bourg de Prat - 1873. Les ajouts entre crochets [] sont de simples suggestions de ma part (Ch. S.) Traduction Ch. Souchon (c) 2013 |
THE MASQUERADE 1. I beg you, Holy Ghost, enlighten my spirit, So that I may compose this ballad, most horrid, On the two young revellers around Shrovetide past And decent parents on whom no light shall be cast. 2. These two people who lead a life of debauchery [Had dinner in Poullan town in a hostelry] When they got drunk on wines, the two have put masks on And begun to frolic [in the streets of the town] 3. One of them was possessed, I fear, by the devil: He has donned an ox hide to enhance the revel , The other a goat hide. Foolishly the two swore: - We're devils, both of us. Against God let's wage war! - 4. They ran about the streets and the lanes all around And it happened that one of them a priest has found Carrying the holy host to a poor sick man He followed him. He spied the house. Quickly he ran 5. To the door where he stayed, saying: - I am the fiend By whom this pour soul from salvation will be weaned! - The sick man had heard it and loudly he did cry. The priest went to great pains the poor man's tears to dry: 6. - Quiet, quiet it is only a mask who speaks And just wants to scare you: [it's the way of those freaks ]. - He turned on the author of this cruel, accursed joke, The host was in his hand and solemnly he spoke: 7. - Take your mask off your face and look! Your God is here! And before daylight dawns, His judgment you shall hear! - But the wretched, drunken man had become arrogant, With wild words he profaned the holy Sacrament: 8. - I'm the devil, he said, I am God's enemy, I wage war against Him, in all eternity! - He said and went away from the house to resume His aimless wandering in his dismal costume. 9. But O! the urge to scream when he felt his blood freeze! He fell unto the ground: his soul eager death seized! His accursed companion now came roaming that way And noticed the dark form that on the pavement lay. 10. - Stand up, stand up, my friend! Are you afraid of me? For we did not carouse our fill! Don't you agree? - The other kept silent. Puzzled by this strange whim, Quick, he took the mask off to have a look at him. 11. When he saw he was dead, he stripped off his goat hide, And left in haste the town where he could not abide. 12. The parents of the boy when they heard of the news That their son laid on the cobblestones of some mews Clad in an ox hide that was clinging to his skin, Were consternated by the graveness of his sin: 13. - Can it be, o my God, that the son we begot The dishonour to be damned on our name has brought? - Now crying and screaming they fell unto the ground: From the terrible blow both of them their death found!... 14. Parents, I entreat you, of your children take care! Teach them early enough of all sin to beware, As well as of people of dubious repute, Or damnation looms large at the end of their route! Sung by Loeiz Ar BRAS, weaver at Prad town- 1873. I have added suggestions in square brackets [] to fill in evident blanks. (Ch. S.) Translated by Christian Souchon (c) 2013 |