LEAPING AND DANCING
Catalan
Refrain
Shepherds and lasses, come leaping and dancing,
Leaping and dancing the eve of Noël.
The eve of Noël, the eve of Noël.

1, Make up a bed for the sweet Virgin Mary,
Make up a bed, for she lies now with child.

2, Hush-a-bye baby, he wakes and is weeping,
Hush-a-bye baby, so little and mild.

3, What shall we give him, the young child of Mary?
What shall we give him, to play our small parts?

4, Grapes we will give him, figs, walnuts and olives;
Olives and grapes, and the love of our hearts.

5, I'd like to give him a dress to adorn him,
Gloves for his warming, and gifts for his mirth.

6, From the first hour that his mother has borne him,
Weeps he and sobs, his first moments on earth.

7, Now his young mother most tenderly soothes him,
Soothes him and sings her best song for his birth.

8, Weep no more, darling, nor grieve me so sorely,
Weep not, my darling, this eve of Noël.
(Final refrain 2 lines only!)

X: 1
T:Leaping and dancing
M:6/8
L:1/8
S: Penguin book of Christmas carols
Z: NP 23 Nov 2021
K:D
F3/2G/A | AGF E3/2D/E | F2 D F3/2G/A | AGF EF3/2E/ | D2 || (B/c/) d3/2c/B | A2 (B/c/) d3/c/B | A6 || F3/G/A| ABc d3/c/B | B2 A F3/G/A | ABc edB | A3 |
w: Shep-herds and lass-es, come leap-ing and danc-ing, Leap-ing and danc-ing the eve of No-ël. The_ eve of No-ël, the_ eve of No-ël. Make up a bed for the sweet Vir-gin Ma-ry, Make up a bed, for she lies now with child.
Copied from “The Penguin book of Christmas Carols” where the title is given as “LEAPING AND DANCING (SALTEN Y BALLEN). The notes go on “This Catalan folk carol of the French province of Roussillon from the Canteloube collection is characteristic of southern vigour and grace. The verse gives scope for solo and group treatment.
Translation is by the book’s editor Elizabeth Poston
The words (and verse order) differ slightly from those given earlier in the discussion
NP