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Lyr Req/Add: Partons, la Mer est Belle
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Subject: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: GUEST,mg Date: 11 Mar 09 - 04:45 PM Can someone give me the title and a translation please? I really like this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eoTID2ibIA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eoTID2ibIA |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Weasel Date: 11 Mar 09 - 05:14 PM I don't know the song but have you tried using the "comment" facility on YouTube to ask them what it is? Cheers |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: katlaughing Date: 11 Mar 09 - 05:35 PM Nice song! I'll ask my Rog if he's ever heard it and/or can give a rough translation. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 05:50 PM Hi Mary, The song is called "Partons la mer est belle." I am starting this translation with the Google translator so pardon the clumsy wording, but I do know the song so I think I can tweakj it so it's pretty close (though not singable of course). The song is a lot prettier in French. I heard Holly Arntzen sing it at the Vancouver Folk Festival back in the '70s and have never forgotten it, but I can't exactly find her words online. I seem to recall that the version she sang was her father's; the lyrics listed online in multiple places as traditional are a bit different and I don't like them quite as well, so I'm giving you a translation of hers instead. Let me know if you want the French version of these lyrics and I'll see what I can do. PARTONS LA MER EST BELLE Let's go out, the sea is beautiful Friends, let us leave quietly; The full moon will give us most of the night to fish. It is vital that before the dawn We are back in port So that we can admire again The splendors of the day. REFRAIN: Let's go out, the sea is beautiful; Let us embark, fishermen, Let us guide our boat, Let us row hard. To the poles let's raise the sails, The sky is clear and beautiful, I see the shining star That leads our oars. So sang my father As he left the port. He was not expecting at all To find death out there. By winds, by the storm He was surprised suddenly And in cruel shipwreck He submitted to his fate. REFRAIN I have only my mother now Who does nothing; She is wrappedin misery, And I am her only support. Let's row, let's row swiftly, Because I see her there, I see her beckoning to me With her arms outstretched. I hope that helps. Cheers, Claire |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: GUEST,mg Date: 11 Mar 09 - 05:54 PM Thanks. I would like the French version. I lived in Canada long enough to be able to read the cereal boxes but it still would be nice. mg |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 05:59 PM Here you go... I am not sure about that verb in the second line of the last verse ("possède"); it doesn't look right -- and if it IS right, then the translation should be "Who HAS nothing", not "Who DOES nothing," I think...but I think everything else is as Holly sang it: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE (Holly Arntzen's father's version) Partons, la mer est belle; Embarquons-nous, pêcheurs, Guidons notre nacelle, Ramons avec ardeur. Aux mâts hissons les voiles, Le ciel est pur et beau, Je vois briller l'étoile Qui guide nos matelots. La peche sera bonne Amis, partons sans bruit; La pleine lune nous donne Presque toute la nuit. Il faut qu'avant l'aurore Nous soyons de retour Pour admirer encore Les merveilles du jour. Ainsi chantait mon père Lorsqu'il quitta le port. Il ne s'attendait guère À y trouver la mort. Par les vents, par l'orage, Il fut surpris soudain, Et d'un cruel naufrage Il subit le destin. Je n'ai plus que ma mère Qui ne possède rien; Elle est dans la misère, Je suis son seul soutien. Ramons, ramons bien vite, Je l'aperçois là-bas, Je la vois qui m'invite En me tendant les bras. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Artful Codger Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:04 PM The song is "Partons, la mer est belle", and it begins "La peche sera bonne; amis, partons sans bruit." From that, you can find quite a few sites with the lyrics. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:07 PM You probably know this, but Artful Codger's referring to the "traditional" lyrics which are indeed posted many places, but are not quite the same as the ones I posted. C |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Artful Codger Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:10 PM Sorry, Clair must've posted (much more completely) while I was hunting around--folks are fast around here! ;-} |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Artful Codger Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:38 PM There's a very nice sound clip here, along with lyrics. They are much as ClaireBear supplied, except for the first half of the first verse. And yes, "possède" is correct. The song also appears on the Folkways album "Chansons d'Acadie", sung by Helen Baillargeon and Alan Mills (FW 6923). Another example of a ghoulish lullaby. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Artful Codger Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:45 PM I should mention that the first stanza in ClaireBear's French version is commonly the refrain, whether it precedes the first verse or not. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:48 PM Now that I've listened to the Hankies clip from beginning to end, some further information about the version I posted: yes, it's closer lyrics-wise to the Hankes' version than it is to the "traditional" lyrics available everywhere. However, there's no chorus in Holly's version. The tune Holly used for the three-verse song was the the first half of what the Hankies sing as the verse coupled with the last half of what they sing as the chorus. C |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:49 PM (sorry, four verses! I confuse myself sometimes) |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: skipy Date: 11 Mar 09 - 06:55 PM Is it by the Cheese eating, hibernating, surrender monkeys? Skipy |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 07:06 PM And then other times, someone else confuses me even more. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Bob the Postman Date: 11 Mar 09 - 07:22 PM Holly Arntzen's father is Lloyd, the maker of this fishing song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Artful Codger Date: 11 Mar 09 - 07:44 PM ClaireBear: Don't worry about that--apparently, brie gives Skipy hallucinations. As for "traditional" vs. "Holly's", there seems to be little difference in the lyrics, only with the organization and (perhaps) tune. However Holly sings it, the first stanza in the French lyrics you posted is usually the refrain--you even indicate this in your English version. If you swap the first two stanzas of the French, your English and French stanzas match up, and the French also matches most "traditional" lyrics found elsewhere. Indeed, there seems to be a great consistency among the versions I saw, to a degree I wouldn't have expected of a "traditional" song. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: ClaireBear Date: 11 Mar 09 - 08:09 PM YEs, the differences are tiny, and they all seem to be in what you call the refrain: the Arntzen version says "la pleine lune nous donne preque toute la nuit" instead of the line I found in most other versions, "la lune qui rayonne éclairera la nuit." And similarly, "pour admirer encore les merveilles du jour" replaces "pour sommeiller encore Avant qu'il soit grand jour." I find the imagery a bit more evocative in the version I supplied, that's all...and I think it could get awfully long, with all those choruses. BTW I just realized that the first line of my second verse should have been "La peche sera bonne" (not a repeat of the song name), so the two versions are even closer than above. Sorry!!! C
-Joe Offer- |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 11 Mar 09 - 08:32 PM This Acadian song does not seem to be in Mudcat. A version is on youtube. Lyr. Add: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE Canadian, traditional 1 Amis, partons sans bruit; La péche sera bonne La lune qui rayonne Éclairera la nuit. Il faut qu'avant l'aurore Nous soyons de retour Pour sommeiller encore Avant qu'il soit grand jour. Refrain: Partons, la mer est belle; Embarquons-nous, pécheurs, Guidons notre nacelle, Ramons avec ardeur. Aux mâts hissons les voiles, Le ciel est pur et beau, Je vois briller l'étoile Qui guide les matelots! 2 Ainsi chantait mon père Lorsqu'il quitta le porte. Il ne s'attendait guère À y trouver la mort. Par les vents, par l'orage, Il fut supris soudain, Et d'un cruel naufrage Il subit le destin. Refrain 3 Je n'ai plus que ma mère Qui ne possède rien; Elle est dans la misère, Je suis son seul soutien. Ramons, ramons bien vite, Je l'aperçois là-bas, Je la vois qui m'invite En me tendant les bras. Songs on Hergé website: Partons, La Mer |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Partons, La Mer est belle From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 11 Mar 09 - 09:09 PM This is the song of thread 119315, but the version wanted there seems to be a particular singer's revision of the traditional song. French Song |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE From: Jim Dixon Date: 11 Mar 09 - 09:44 PM Here's another version that seems to correspond more closely to what the "Hankies" are singing in the video (except in verse 3): Lyrics copied from Chansons enfantines d'hier et d'aujourd'hui: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE Traditionnel - Quebec 1. La pêche sera bonne. Amis, partons sans bruit. La pleine lune donne Presque toute la nuit. Il faut qu'avant l'aurore Nous soyons de retour, Pour admirer encore Les merveilles du jour. REFRAIN: Partons; la mer est belle. Embarquons-nous, pêcheurs. Guidons notre nacelle. Ramons avec ardeur. Aux mât hissons les voiles, Le ciel est pur et beau. Je vois briller l'étoile Qui guide les matelots! 2. Ainsi parlait mon père Quand il quitta le port. Il ne s'attendait guère A y trouver la mort. Ce fut un soir d'orage Il fut trouver soudain Et jeté au rivage A son cruel destin. 3. Je n'ai plus qu'une mère Qui ne possède rien. Elle est dans la misère Et n'a que mon soutien. Ramons, ramons bien vite Où je la vois là-bas. Je vais courir de suite Me jeter dans ses bras. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: katlaughing Date: 11 Mar 09 - 11:45 PM This is so kewl. I don't' know French, but I know enough pronunciation to sing along with the lyrics. Such a pretty tune. Thanks, everyone for posting it and the lyrics. kat |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Monique Date: 12 Mar 09 - 02:42 AM "Qui ne possède rien" means "who doesn't own anything". I'll have a look at it this evening when I come back from work. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Partons, La Mer est belle From: Artful Codger Date: 12 Mar 09 - 11:08 AM Actually, that thread is not version-specific. Two specific versions were discussed (the one sung in the YouTube clip which prompted the query, and one ClaireBear posted, sung by Holly Arntzen), but the original poster wanted the song identified, and all versions are very similar. There is no reason to have multiple threads; they should be merged (under this thread, which is titled after the song) to reduce confusion and duplication of effort. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: Artful Codger Date: 12 Mar 09 - 11:11 AM Q has started another thread on this song, which at least has the merit of carrying the song's title as the thread name: thread 119321. He has posted another version, as well, though it really doesn't differ from the ones posted here. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: GUEST Date: 12 Mar 09 - 03:06 PM This song is from that part of the Maritimes known as L'Acadie. Although there is the strong possibility that it originated in France. Some of the phrases in some versions seem to support that. Dick D |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req: What is this French song? From: GUEST,mg Date: 12 Mar 09 - 03:25 PM Also part of the U.S. at least originally. mg |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE From: Monique Date: 12 Mar 09 - 07:05 PM Here is another version PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE Amis partons sans bruit La pêche sera bonne Le clair de lune donne Une partie de la nuit. Je veux qu'avant l'aurore Nous soyons de retour Pour embrasser encore Le fruit de nos amours. Partons la mer est belle Embarquons-nous pêcheurs Guidons notre nacelle Ramons avec ardeur Au mât hissons les voiles Le ciel est pur et beau Déjà la blanche étoile Guide nos matelots Matelots Ainsi parlait mon père Lorsqu'il quittait le port Il ne s'attendait guère À y trouver la mort Par une nuit d'orage Il fut surpris soudain Et jeté au rivage Par un fatal destin Je n'ai plus que ma mère Qui ne possède rien Elle est dans la misère N'a que moi pour soutien Ramons, ramons bien vite, Je l'aperçois là-bas Je veux courir bien vite Me jeter dans ses bras. Cahiers de chants de marins #3 –Ed. Le Chasse-Marée There's no information about the song in the book. It's in a chapter titled "Popular sea songs from the end of the 19th century" Some precisions about the translation "les matelots" are "the mates/the seamen" In the version that Claire gave, they must be back before down so that they can admire again the splendors of the day, in the version that Q gave, they must be back so that they can doze some more before it's broad daylight, in the one I give they must be back so they can kiss the 'fruit of their love' again. Oops! Forgot to check a page: it says that the song is well known among all the seamen from Vendée, Brittany, Normandy or Boulogne and that this version has been collected in 1985 by Patrick Nérisson and Michel Colleu from a lady called Germaine Burgaud in l'Ile d'Yeu (off the Vendée coast of Western France). Click to play |
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Subject: RE: req/ADD: Partons, La Mer est belle From: Joe Offer Date: 13 Mar 09 - 12:46 AM MIDI added - Click to play |
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Subject: RE: req/ADD: Partons, la mer est belle From: GUEST,Hugues Date: 06 Sep 10 - 08:11 PM It is said to be a traditional Acadian song. I think that is likely correct, because some of the words are a little archaic in European French. Acadians are the descendants of French settlers in NE Canada in what is now Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the Magdalen Islands. They still reside there as minorities, except in the Islands. They have also settled several towns in Quebec, especially Havre St. Pierre. They are of course also in Southern Louisiana. They were the victims of British ethnic cleansing in the mid 18th Century. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE From: GUEST Date: 11 Nov 18 - 09:41 PM PARTONS, LA MER EST BELLE (traditionnel) Amis, partons sans bruit; La pêche sera bonne La lune qui rayonne Éclairera la nuit. Il faut qu'avant l'aurore Nous soyons de retour Pour sommeiller encore Avant qu'il soit grand jour. REFRAIN: Partons, la mer est belle; Embarquons-nous, pêcheurs, Guidons notre nacelle, Ramons avec ardeur. Aux mâts hissons les voiles, Le ciel est pur et beau, Je vois briller l'étoile Qui guide les matelots! Ainsi chantait mon père Lorsqu'il quitta le port. Il ne s'attendait guère À y trouver la mort. Par les vents, par l'orage, Il fut surpris soudain, Et d'un cruel naufrage Il subit le destin. REFRAIN Je n'ai plus que ma mère Qui ne possède rien; Elle est dans la misère, Je suis son seul soutien. Ramons, ramons bien vite, Je l'aperçois là-bas, Je la vois qui m'invite En me tendant les bras. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Partons, la Mer est Belle From: Monique Date: 12 Nov 18 - 03:36 AM I found many sites that state that the song first appeared in print in France in 1910 while it was printed for the 1st time in 1920 in Canada but couldn't find any reliable source for such a statement -no book, no sheet music. Btw, the lyrics don't sound archaic in France French from a century ago. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Partons, la Mer est Belle From: leeneia Date: 12 Nov 18 - 01:02 PM Thank you for bringing up this lovely song again, Monique. I found a MIDI at the Great Canadian Tunebook and have added the melody to my collection of songs for accordion. |
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Subject: RE: Lyr Req/Add: Partons, la Mer est Belle From: Jim Dixon Date: 14 Nov 18 - 07:36 PM Musical notation for the melody line can be seen in Chansons Douces, Chansons Tendres By Geneviève Côté, Henriette Major, Patrice Dubuc |
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