Lyr Req: Carol of the Birds

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carol of the Birds
From: Monique
Date: 22 Dec 08 - 07:21 PM

Here is the original Occitan version of the Carol of the Birds = Whence comes this rush of wings afar. (there may be versions with minor variants)


NADAL DELS AUCÈLS

Aicí l'estela de Nadal
Qu'es aquel bruch dessús l'ostal?
Es una tropa d'aucelons
A Betelèm van dos a dos.

Dins l'estable ont lo rei del cèl
Dòrm entre l'ase e lo maurèl.
Digatz, aucèls, que venètz far.
- Venèm nòstre Dieu adorar.

Lo pol s'avança lo prumièr
Monta sul boès del rastelièr
E per començar l'orason
Entona son "Cocoroco".

Lo mèrle arriba en estiflant,
Lo linòt en canturlejant,
Lo pijon fa "Rocó rocó",
La lauseta "Tira liró".

Lo cardin sortís de son niu
Saluda e ditz "Tirli chiu chiu"
"Chiu chiu" respond lo passerat
E la calha fa "Palpabàt".

Aicí venir lo baticoet
Se pausa al costat del verdet
E sus l'albar, lo rossinhòl
Canta a l'enfant "Re, mi, fa, sòl"

Per onorar lo filh de Dieu
Venètz en granda devocion.
Aucèls, pastors, anges del cèl,
Cantèm anuèit "Noël, Noël"

---

Click to play

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And here is a very literal translation (I never was a poet!)


THE CAROL OF THE BIRDS

Here is the Christmas star.
What is this noise over the house?
It's a group/troop of little birds
To Bethlehem they're going two by two.

In the cowshed where the king of heavens
Is sleeping between the donkey and the ox:
"Say, birds, what are you coming for?"
"We're coming to worship our God"

The chicken/rooster goes forward first
It climbs on the hayrack
And to begin the prayer
It starts singing its "Cockle-doodle doo"

The blackbird's arriving and whistling
The linett's humming
The pigeon goes "roo coo roo coo"
The lark "tira liroo"

The goldfinch goes out of his nest
Greets and says "Tirli chiu chiu"
"Chiu chiu" answers the sparrow
And the quail goes "Palpabat"

Here comes the wagtail
It sits besides the greenfinch
And on the willow, the nightingale
Sings to the Child "Re, mi, fa, sol"

To honor the son of God,
Come in great devoutness.
Birds, shepherds, angels from heavens
Let's sing tonight "Christmas, Christmas"



Here is a very long version of the Catalan "Cant dels ocells"

EL CANT DELS OCELLS


Al veure despuntar
el major lluminar
en la nit més ditxosa,
els ocellets cantant,
a festejar-lo van
amb sa veu melindrosa.

L'àliga imperial
se'n vola cel adalt,
cantant amb melodia,
dient: "Jesús és nat,
per treure'ns de pecat
i dar-nos alegria".

Repon-li lo pardal:
"Avui, nit de Nadal,
és nit de gran contento!"
El verdum i el lluer
diuen cantant, també :
"Oh, quina alegria sento!"

Cantava el passarell:
"Oh, que hermós i que bell
és l'infant de Maria!"
I li respon el tord :
"Vençuda n'és la mort,
ja naix la vida mia !"

Refila el rossinyol:
"És més bonic que el sol
més brillant que una estrella!"
La cotxa i el bitxac
festegen al manyac
i a sa Mare donzella.

Cantava el reietó
per glòria del Senyor,
inflant amb biçarria;
el canari segueix:
llur música pareix
del Cel gran melodia.

Ja n'entra el cotoliu
dient: "Ocells veniu
a festejar l'aurora!"
I lo merlot, xiulant,
anava festejant
a la més gran Senyora.

L'estiverola diu:
"No és hivern ni estiu
sinó que és primavera;
puix que és nada una flor
que pertot dóna olor
I omple la terra entera."

Cantava el francolí:
"Ocells qui vol venir
avui a trenc de dia
a veure el gran Senyor
amb sa gran resplendor
a dins d'una establia?"

Ve cantant el puput:
"Eixa nit ha vingut
el Rei de més grandesa!"
La tórtora i el colom
admiren a tothom
cantant sense tristesa.

Picots i borroners
volen entre els fruiters
cantant llurs alegries;
la guatlla i el cucut
de molt lluny han vingut
per contemplar el Messies.

Cantava la perdiu
"Me'n vaig a fer lo niu
dins d'aquella establia,
per a veure l'Infant
com està tremolant
en braços de Maria."

La garsa, griva o gaig
diuen: "Ara ve el maig!"
Respon la cadernera:
"Tot arbre reverdeix,
tota branca floreix
com si fos primavera."

Xiuxiueja el pinsà:
"Glòria avui i demà;
sento gran alegria
de veure el diamant
tan hermós i brillant
als braços de Maria."

El xot i el mussol
al veure eixir el sol
confosos se retiren.
El gamarús i el duc
diuen: "Mirar no puc;
tals resplendors m'admiren!"

For those who know French, you have a French translation here (it's where I took it from). For those who don't, English translation tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carol of the Birds
From: Monique
Date: 23 Dec 08 - 08:18 AM

Here is a very literal English translation (as I already said, I never was a poet, nor was I a native English speaker either)

SONG/SINGING OF THE BIRDS

When they see the brightest star
Rise up
In the happiest night
The singing little birds
Are going to celebrate it
With their honeyed voices.

The imperial eagle
Flies off high in the sky
And sings its melody,
It says "Jesus was born
To save us from sin
And to give us joy"

The sparrow answers it:
"Tonight, Christmas night,
Is the one of great happiness"
The greenfinch and the siskin
Say singing too
"Oh, what a joy I feel"

The linett sang
"Oh, how beautiful
Mary's child is!"
And the thrush answers:
"Death is defeated,
Now my life was born!"

The nightingale trills
"He's prettier than the sun,
Brighter than a star"
The black restart and the stonechat
Celebrate the baby
And the Virgin his mother.

The wren was singing
For God's glory
And was embroidering
The canary follows
Their music's sounding like
A great, celestial melody.

Then the lark enters
Saying:"Birds, come
Celebrate the dawn"
And the whistling blackbird
Was celebrating
The greatest Lady

The great tit said :
"It's neither Winter nor Summer
But it's Spring indeed
Since a flower was born
That spreads its perfume everywhere
And fills the whole earth with it.

The francolin was singing
"Birds, who wants to come
Today at the break of day,
To see the great Lord
In his splendour,
In a cowshed?"

The hoopoe is singing
"Last night came
The greatest King"
The turtle dove and the pigeon
Surprise everyone
By singing without sadness.

Woodpeckers and bullfinches
Fly in the orchards
Singing their joy;
The quail and the cuckoo
Have come from far away
To admire the Messiah

And the partridge was singing
"I'm going to build my nest
In this cowshed
To see the Child,
All shaking
In Mary's arms"

The magpie, the thrush or the jay
Say "Here's the month of May!"
The goldfinch answers
"Every tree is growing green again
Every branch is blooming
As if in Spring"

The chaffinch whispers
"Glory today and tomorrow"
I feel great happiness
When I see this diamond
So beautiful and so shining
In Mary's arms

The barn owl and the owl
As they see the day break (the sun peep through)
Withdraw, embarrassed;
The tawny owl and the eagle owl
Say "I can't look;
Such splendors dazzle me"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carol of the Birds
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Jan 09 - 12:49 AM

This is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's Rendition
(Thanks to my wife whose ears are better than mine).

Upon this Holy night,
A rush of birds in flight
Their voices filled with splendor.

-Came birds in joyful throng
To sing their praise in song
With carols soft and tender.

-All sang unto the child
To Mary sweet and mild
In adoration tender.

The kindly eagle came
To praise his Holy name
The nightingale came flying.

-All circled and replied
"Tonight is Christmas Night"
Their songs of love were crying.

-The cuckoo and the quail
Flew over hill and dale
They sang of love undying.

Upon this Holy night
Upon this Holy night
Upon this night...
This night a rush of birds in flight.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Carol of the Birds
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 21 Nov 16 - 02:16 PM

The great cellist Pablo Casals would often end his recitals with a very moving version of "Carol of the Bells"/
See link below to recording of Casals playing the tune at a recital for JFK at the White House in 1961.
Interestingly, Casals also played a recital for Queen Victoria!

Casals plays at the White House