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User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
Monique Lyr Add: La Mule (French) (9) RE: Lyr Add: La Mule (French) 07 Nov 20


The next song from Malicorne album "Le bestiaire": Alexandre.
The first part of the song has been borrowed from a Canadian song (see below), the second part has been penned by Marie Yacoub inspired by Claude Seignolles's novella "Le gâloup" (1960)
ALEXANDRE

J’étais orphelin de cinq ans
De père de mère et de parents.
J’étais réduit de cette sorte
D’mandant mon pain de porte en porte.
Un bon marchand, par charité,
De ma pauvreté a eu pitié.

Un jour marchant dans la forêt,
Mon maître allait par devant moi,
Saisi d’une rage destinée,
Je levai ma sanglante épée.
Sans craindre mon dieu tout puissant,
Je trempai la main dans son sang.

Mon bon maître, tombant à bas,
S’écria : –Grand dieu, qui est là ?
Est-ce bien toi, mon Alexandre ?
Ne vois-tu pas mon sang se répandre ?
Sept ans tu as mangé mon pain ;
Aujourd’hui je meurs par ta main.

Le jour de mes noces, après souper,
Je sortis pour aller danser ;
J’aperçus un grand homme pâle,
Il avait une triste mine,
Une épée dedans sa poitrine.
Et alors il suivit mes pas
En criant vengeance sur moi.

Sept ans, changé en bête,
Tu courras comme un damné.
Sept ans, dessous la lune,
La nuit tu vas hurler.
Sept ans, dans sept paroisses,
La terreur tu vas semer.
Sept ans, saisi de rage,
Toujours te faudra errer.
Sept ans, le ventre vide,
Et de sang assoiffé.
Sept ans, des nuits entières,
Les hommes vont trembler
Jusqu’au soir de pleine lune
Où tu seras tué d’une balle bénite.
Alors tu seras en paix
ALEXANDER

I was a five-year-old orphan
Of father, of mother and of parents
I was reduced this way
Begging my bread from door to door
A good merchant for charity
Of my poverty took pity

One day, walking in the forest,
My master was going in front of me
Seized with a fated rage
I raised my bloody sword
Without fearing my almighty god
I dipped my hand in his blood

My good master falling down
Cried, "Great God, who is there?
Is it really you, my Alexander?
Can't you see my blood spilling?
Seven years you ate my bread
Today I die by your hand."

On my wedding day after supper
I went out to go dancing
I saw a tall, pale man
He looked sad
With a sword in his chest
And then he followed my steps
Crying revenge on me

Seven years, turned into a beast,
You will run like a damned
Seven years under the moon
At night you will howl
Seven years in seven parishes
The terror you will sow
Seven years seized with rage
You will always have to wander
Seven years old with an empty stomach
And thirsty of blood
Seven years during whole nights
Men will tremble
Until the evening of the full moon
When you will be killed with a holy bullet
Then you will be at peace
J’ÉTAIS ORPHELIN DE CINQ ANS

J’étais orphelin de cinq ans
De pèr' de mère et de parents.
J’étais réduit de cette sorte
À d'mander mon pain de porte en porte.
Un bon marchand, par charité,
De ma pauvreté a eu pitié.

Ils m'ont pris, ils m'ont adopté
Et aux écol's ils m'ont mené.
À mes quinze ans, ils me retirent ;
Je savais très bien lire, écrire.
C'était enfin pour m'enseigner
C' que fallait faire pour pratiquer.

Un jour marchant dans la forêt,
Mon maître allait par devant moi,
Saisi d’une rage destinée,
Je levai ma sanglante épée.
Sans craindre mon Dieu tout puissant,
Je trempai la main dans son sang.

Mon bon maître, tombant à bas,
S’écria : –Grand dieu, qui est là ?
Est-ce bien toi, mon Alexandre ?
Ne vois-tu pas mon sang se répandre ?
Sept ans tu as mangé mon pain ;
Aujourd’hui je meurs par ta main.

J' m'en retournai à la maison,
En dépit de ma trahison.
J'avais une langue de Thérèse.
Je fis accroire à ma maîtresse
Que mon maître avait été tué :
Et moi, que je m'étais sauvé.

Je me comportais sagement ;
Et ma maîtresse au bout d'un an,
De moi devint fort amoureuse.
C'est par un beau jour du lundi
Que de moi ell' fit son mari.

Le jour des noces, après souper,
Je sortis pour aller danser ;
J’aperçus un grand homme pâle,
Pas à pas me poursuivait
En criant vengeance sur moi.

Ma maîtress', saisi' de frayeur,
Tomba à la renvers' de peur.
Il avait une triste mine,
Une épé' dedans sa poitrine.
Je déclarai, en vérité :
–C'est mon bon maître, je l'ai tué !
I WAS A FIVE-YEAR-OLD ORPHAN

I was a five-year-old orphan
Of father, of mother and of parents
I was reduced this way
Begging my bread from door to door
A good merchant for charity
Of my poverty took pity

They took me, they adopted me
And to school they took me.
When I was fifteen, they took me away;
I could read and write very well.
It was finally to teach me
What had to be done to practice.

One day, walking in the forest,
My master was going in front of me
Seized with a fated rage
I raised my bloody sword
Without fearing my almighty god
I dipped my hand in his blood

My good master falling down
Cried, "Great god, who is there?
Is it really you, my Alexander?
Can't you see my blood spill
Seven years you ate my bread
Today I die by your hand."

I returned home,
Despite my betrayal.
I had a tongue of Thérèse*.
I made my mistress believe
That my master had been killed:
And that I had saved myself / I'd run away.

I behaved wisely/patiently;
And my mistress after a year
Fell very much in love with me.
On a beautiful Monday
She made me her husband.

On the wedding day, after supper,
I went out to go dancing;
I saw a tall, pale man,
Step by step he pursued me
Shouting revenge on me.

My mistress, seized with fright,
Fell backwards from fear.
He looked sad,
With a sword in his chest.
I declared, in truth:
–He is my good master, I killed him!

*I couldn't find any definition of this phrase but it seems to mean that what he said sounded true or that he was mealy-mouthed.
We can deduce from the rimes that "oi" is pronounced /wɛ/

"This complaint was collected in 1916 from Ms. Mathilde Audet at Les Éboulements en bas." -Marius Barbeau, "Le rossignol y chante", National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, 1962.


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