The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #169209   Message #4140529
Posted By: Monique
28-Apr-22 - 05:24 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Add: Mudcat singaround songs NOT in English
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Mudcat singaround songs NOT in English
Casey sang "Marions les roses". Here below are the original lyrics with my literal translation followed by Casey's own singable translation.
MARIONS LES ROSES (French)

Le mois d'avril s'en est allé
Le mois de mai s'est approché

(Refrain)
Et marions les roses
Les roses font un beau bouquet
Les roses font un beau bouquet
Quand elles sont jolies.

Avons passé dedans vos prés
Les avons trouvés bien fumés

(Refrain)

Avons passé dedans vos blés
Oh comme ils sont tous bien grainés

(Refrain)

Mettez la main au nid des œufs
Que chaque main en prenne deux

(Refrain)

Moi qui suis le porte-panier
Je prendrais bien le nid entier

(Refrain)

Si vous n' voulez rien nous donner
À la porte nous allons crier.
LET'S MARRY THE ROSES

The month of April has gone
The month of May has drawn near

(Chorus)
And let's marry the roses,
Roses make a beautiful bouquet,
Roses make a beautiful bouquet
When they're pretty.

We went through your fields
We found them well manured.

(Chorus)

We went through your wheat fields
Oh, how much/well grainy they are!

(Chorus)

Put your hand into the eggs nest,
Let every hand take two.

(Chorus)

I, who am the basket carrier,
Would gladly take the whole nest

(Chorus)

If you don't want to give us anything,
At your door we're going to shout.

Casey's singable translation

The month of April’s past away
And here’s the merry month of May
A-a-all among the roses
It’s we will make a fine bouquet
We wi-ill make a fine bouquet
With your sweet primroses

We all have seen your meadows gay
And they will bring a fine crop of hay
All among the roses…                
                
We all have seen your wheaten fields
And they will give a gen’rous yield
All among the roses…                        

Lift your hand into the nest
Choose the eggs that please the best
All among the roses…                        

I am but the basket-bearer
But I could eat the nest entire
All among the roses…                        

Give us a penny, maybe two
We’ll stand and sing until you do
All among the roses…

As I already wrote on the Any May Songs thread...The BNF catalogue has a sheet music for 4-voice choir by Guy Delamorinière (1907 - 1981). The song is said to be a "collection song" or whatever you call a "chanson de quête" in English = a song you sing whenever you go from door to door to collect money or anything else, here eggs. The song is said to be Provençal but the "Anthologie des chants populaires, 1" by Joseph Canteloube reads that the song is from the Albigeois and Lauragais areas of the Languedoc. The lyrics are a mix of Occitan and French -verses in Òc and chorus in French. The music is said to derive from Filii et filiœ. The Occitan chorus is about marrying girls which makes more sense than marrying roses.

Recording by Malicorne
Malicorne Live rendition (Hurdy gurdy festival in Anost, Summer 2013)
Recording by Les Fin'Amoureuses at 3:22.

Back to Index