La ronde des jurons

The carol of the swearwords

Georges Brassens (1958)

1. Voici la ronde (a)
des jurons
Qui chantaient clair, qui dansaient rond,
Quand les Gaulois (a1)
De bon aloi (b)
Du franc-parler suivaient la loi, (c)
Jurant par-là,
Jurant par-ci, (d)
Jurant à langue raccourcie, (e)
Comme des grains de chapelet
Les joyeux jurons défilaient : (f)

Refrain

10 Tous les morbleus, tous les ventrebleus,
11 Les sacrebleus et les cornegidouilles,
12 Ainsi, parbleu, que les jarnibleus
13 Et les palsambleus, 
14 Tous les cristis, les ventres saint-gris,
15 Les par ma barbe et les noms d'une pipe,
16 Ainsi, pardi, que les sapristis
17 Et les sacristis,
18 Sans oublier les jarnicotons,
19 Les scrogneugneus et les bigre’ et les bougre’,
20 Les saperlott's, les cré nom de nom,
21 Les peste, et pouah, et diantre, et fichtre et foutre,
22 Tous les Bon Dieu,
23 Tous les vertudieux,
24 Tonnerr' de Brest et saperlipopette,
25 Ainsi, pardieu, que les jarnidieux
26 Et les pasquedieux.

2. Quelle pitié!
Les charretiers (g)
Ont un langage châtié! (h)
Les harengères (i)
Et les mégères (j)
Ne parlent plus à la légère!
Le vieux catéchisme poissard (k)
N'a guère plus cours chez les hussards... (k1)
Ils ont vécu, de profundis, (l) (m)
Les joyeux jurons de jadis.

Refrain 

1. Here is the mer-
ry dance of swear
-words that sounded high and so fair,
When the old Gauls
In honnest brawls
Ruled the art of speech with loud calls,
They would swear here,
They would swear there.
Propriety was not their care.
Oaths were told as if they were beads... 
And here the rosary proceeds:

Refrain

All the morbleu, all the ventrebleu
The sacrebleu and the cornegidouille,
Along, parbleu!, with the jarnibleu
And the palsambleu.
All the cristi, the "ventre saint-gris"
The "par ma barbe", and the "nom d'une pipe"
Just as, pardi!, are the sapristi.
And the sacristi.
Not to forget the jarnicoton,
The scrogneugneu & the bigre & the bougre,
The saperlotte, the "'cré nom de nom",
The plague & pouh & diantre & fichtre & foutre,
All the "Bon Dieu",
All the vertudieu,
"Tonnerre de Brest" and saperlipopette,
Just as, pardieu!, are the jarnidieu
And the pasquedieu. 

2. But now, for shame !
Cart drivers claim
To speak properly, that's their aim !
Fishmongers do
As harshest shrews:
They do not speak without care due.
The gross catechism of old,
Had words that no hussar more told …
They've had their day, so rest in peace
The merry oaths! Their course did cease...

Refrain

Transl. Christian Souchon (c) 2022

Notes:

[1] Cette traduction « chantable » diffère de la traduction non rimée de David Yendley (dbarf.blogspot.com/2013/06/la-ronde-des-jurons.html) pour les 2 couplets. Par contre, je lui emprunte le refrain ainsi que son tableau de correspondance des jurons avec cette précision : "Bigre", "bougre" et leur équivalent anglais  "bugger" viennent de "Bulgare". La Bulgarie était le pays d'origine des Bogomiles, à l'origine de l'hérésie cathare. Parmi les accusations formulées contre eux par l'Inquisition, celle de sodomie figurait peut-être en bonne place. "Bougre" signifiait donc à la fois "hérétique" et "sodomite".  "Bigre" est apparu beaucoup plus tard, au 18ème siècle, comme la transformation euphémique de "bougre". Les deux mots sont encore en usage mais ont perdu tout caractère injurieux (bougre="chap", bigre!="gosh!"). Il en est de même de plusieurs autres jurons ("parbleu", "nom d'une pipe", "fichtre", "diantre", …) [2] Je lui emprunte aussi ses notes de vocabulaire destinées aux anglophones, tout en faisant mienne sa note introductive, étant rapidement parvenu à la même conclusion que lui : "Je ne me suis pas imposé la tâche impossible de trouver un équivalent anglais précis pour chaque juron français. Je pense qu'il existe des arguments valables qui justifient de considérer un juron comme un bien culturel original, propre à chaque nation." On peut ajouter que le fait que, parmi ces jurons, les blasphèmes soient en écrasante majorité, témoigne paradoxalement du caractère profondément religieux de nos aïeux.   [1] This “singable” translation differs from the unrhymed translation by David Yendley (dbarf.blogspot.com/2013/06/la-ronde-des-jurons.html) for the 2 couplets. But I borrowed the refrain from him, as well as his swearword correspondence table with an addition: "Bigre", "bougre" and their English equivalent "bugger" come from "Bulgare". Bulgaria was the country of the Bogomils, the origin of the Cathar heresy. Among the charges set forth against them by the Inquisition, that of sodomy figured prominently. "Bougre" therefore meant both "heretic" and "sodomite". "Bigre" appeared much later, in the 18th century, as the euphemistic transformation of "bougre". Both words are still in use, but have lost all offensive character (bougre="chap", bigre!="gosh!"). So have several other swear words in the list ("parbleu", "nom d'une pipe", "fichtre", "diantre", ...) [2] I can only approve of D. Yendley's choice: "I have not imposed upon myself the impossible task of finding a precise English equivalent for each French oath. I feel that there are valid arguments which justify regarding an oath as a unique, national, cultural entity" . The fact that, among these swear words, blasphemies are in the overwhelming majority, paradoxically testifies to the deeply religious character of our ancestors.

a) "La ronde" = a dance performed in a circle, a square dance, a folk dance .(I think "carol"= Old French "carole", a round dance accompanied by singers, from Greek "khoros"=chorus and "aulein"= to play the flute, could be the accurate translation). a1) Gaulois (Gallic) also means "bawdy". A "gauloiserie" is a bawdy story or a bawdiness. b) De bon aloi = honest,  respectable,  sound (litt. "of sterling quality"; hence the English "alloy") c) Le franc-parler = outspokenness, speaking your mind. d) Par-là …. par-ci = here and there, all over the place. e) Frapper à bras raccourcis= to lay into to some-one with your fists. The French argue among themselves the significance of shortened arms. Perhaps the most plausible explanation  is that it means: with shortened sleeves, rolled up for the fight. ("sleeves" may translate as "bras de chemise", lit; "arms of a shirt"). f) Défiler - pass by – flash by g) Les charretiers= carters. (Refers to the phrase "jurer comme un charretier"= to swear like a trooper, which alludes to a fable by La Fontaine). h) Châtié = polished, refined (literally: castigated). i) Les harengères  = the fishwives - a pejorative description as in English. j) Mégère =  a cantankerous, evil tempered woman, a shrew. k) Poissard  = vulgar,  coarse. (Poix= pitch). k1) Hussard: "comme un hussard" or "a la hussarde" (as a hussar would do) means "to behave very rudely". l) Ils ont vécu = If you say something "a vécu", you mean that it has had its day – is a thing of the past. m) De profundis is a phrase for a requiem.

Swearwords	Lines	Full meanings	Type of oats
morbleu (1612)	10	Mort à Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on the body of Christ - but minced words
ventrebleu (15ème s.)	10	Ventre de Dieu	Swearing on the belly of Christ cut open on the cross- but minced word.
cornegidouille (1896)	11	corne= horn, andouille=chitterlings	An oath invented for the surrealist play « Ubu Roi »
sacrebleu (14ème s.)	11	Sacré Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on the sacred God - but minced word.
parbleu (1577)	12	Par Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on God - but minced word.
jarnibleu (1611)	12	Je renie Dieu	Denying God-total blasphemy ! -but minced words
palsambleu (1540)	13	Par le sang de Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on the blood Christ shed on the Cross - but minced words
cristi (1808)	14	Christ	Swearing on Christ’s name
ventre saint-gris (1530)	14	Ventre de Dieu	Swearing on the belly of Christ – but a substitute noun
par ma barbe (?)	15	Par mon Dieu	Swearing on God but substitute noun
nom d'une pipe (?)	15	Nom de Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on God’s name, but substitute noun
pardi (1608)	16	Par Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on God - but minced word
sapristi (1841)	16	Sacré Christ (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on the sacred Christ - but minced word.
sacristi (1808)	17	Sacré Christ	Swearing on the sacred Christ - but minced word.
jarnicoton (1611)	18	Je renie Dieu	Denying God-total blasphemy ! But substitute noun
scrogneugneu (19ème s.)	19	Sacré nom de Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on God’s name but minced words
bigre (15. s.)	19	Bulgare (still in use; not offensive)	Bugger - but minced word.
bougre (1172)	19	Bulgare (still in use; not offensive)	Bugger - but minced word.
saperlotte (1863)	20	Sacré Dieu	Swearing on God but substitute noun
cré nom de nom (1866)	20	Sacré nom de Dieu	Sacred Name of God. Minced words and substitute noun
peste! (17ème s.)	21	(still in use; not offensive)	Plague: Swearing on the horrific plagues of medieval Europe
pouah (16ème s.)	21	(still in use; not offensive)	Expression of disgust as in English
diantre (17ème s.)	21	Diable (still in use; not offensive)	Devil: Swearing on the Devil - but minced word.
fichtre (19ème s.)	21	Compound ficher+foutre (still in use; not offensive)	Obscenity
foutre (Latin: futuere)	21	(still offensive nowadays)	Obscenity
bon Dieu ! (1608)	22	(still offensive nowadays!)	Swearing on God’s goodness
vertudieu (1537)	23	Vertu de Dieu	Swearing on God’s innocence
saperlipopette (1863)	24	Sacré Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on God but substitute noun
tonnerre de Brest (15 avril 1718)	24	Tonnerre de Dieu (still in use; not offensive)	Swearing on God’s thunder- but substitute noun
pardieu (1540)	25	Par Dieu (pardi!)	Swearing on God
jarnidieu (1611)	25	Je renie Dieu	Denying God- total blasphemy - but minced word.
pasquedieu (?)	26	Par le sang de Dieu	Swearing on the blood Christ shed on the cross - but minced words

Brassens chante "La ronde des jurons" (avec P. Nicolas et J. Favereau



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