Par les chemins creux de la lande
Par les chemins creux de la lande is a lullaby from Brittany.
Par les chemins creux de la lande
In the Hollow Paths of the Moor
Berceuse
Lullaby
(French)
(English)
Par les chemins creux de la lande
Les noirs lutins les loups-garous
La nuit venue en sarabande
Se poursuivent comme des fous
J'entends du bruit près de la porte
Ferme les yeux mon petit gars
Le méchant loup garou emporte
Les enfants qui ne dorment pas
Fais dodo mon petit homme
Car ta maman près du berceau
Veille sur ton léger somme
Jusqu'à demain jusqu'à demain
Fais dodo
Ton père au grand banc de Terre Neuve
Dans la brume un soir a péri
Mon p'tit gars pitié pour sa veuve
Ne va pas sur le flot maudit
Mais bientôt tu seras un homme
Tu riras de ma folle terreur
Et tu navigueras tout comme
Tes frères aînés marins sans peur
Fais dodo mon petit homme
Car ta maman près du berceau
Veille sur ton léger somme
Jusqu'à demain jusqu'à demain
Fais dodo.
In the hollow paths of the moor,
The black goblins, the werewolves,
In the night, in a saraband*
Chase one another like mad.
I hear a noise near the door,
Close your eyes, my little boy
The nasty werewolf takes away
The children who don't sleep.
Sleep, my little man
For near the cradle your mommy
Watches over your light sleep
Till tomorrow, till tomorrow
Sleep.
Your father, in the great banks of Newfoundland,
Perished one evening in the haze.
My little boy, have mercy on his widow,
Don't go on the cursed water.
But you will soon be a man,
You will laugh at my crazy terror
And you will sail just like
Your older brothers, sailors without fear.
Sleep, my little man
For near the cradle your mommy
Watches over your light sleep
Till tomorrow, till tomorrow
Sleep.
Notes
*A saraband is an old air that it is believed to have been brought to Spain by the Moors. It's also a dance. But nowadays when the French say "danser la sarabande" it means to run about making a big racket.
Comments
Maylis wrote "Breton singers in traditional costumes came to sing this song in my mom's school when she was a little girl in the 1930's".
Many thanks to Maylis Villars for contributing and singing this song for us with her Mom. Translated by Monique Palomares, 2nd translator: Lisa Yannucci.
