Se Canto – The Occitan hymn of Southern France

The ‘Se Canto/Se Canta‘ is a hymn in the Occitan language which

is used in the majority of Southern France.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occitan_language

This traditional song was written in the 14th century probably

by Gaston Phébus, Comte de Foix et Seigneur du Béarn. It

became popular and is used, with minor variants, across most

of Southern France as a regional hymn. It is sung in the Béarn

and Gascony areas by Nadau, who has also brought to life many

other songs in Occitan. He performed this at the Olympia in 2000.

Below is the version my grandparents would sing in the 1950s, in the

Dordogne. It’s sung in the Limousin to Toulouse, further East to the region

of Provence and South to the Pyrénées.

OCCITAN

Dejós ma fenèstra,
I a un aucelon, Tota la nueit canta,
Canta sa cançon

Chorus

Se canta, que cante,
Canta pas per ieu,
Canta per ma mia,
Qu’es al luènh de ieu.

Aquelas montanhas,
Que tan nautas son,
M’empachan de veire,
Mas amors ont son.

Baissatz-vos, montanhas,
Planas, auçatz-vos,
Per que pòsca veire,
Mas amors ont son.

Aquelas montanhas,
Tant s’abaissaràn,
Que mas amoretas,
Se raprocharàn.

ENGLISH

Outside my window,
There is a little bird
It sings all night
It sings its song

Chorus

If it sings, let it sing,
It’s not singing for me,
It sings for my love
Who’s far away from me

Those mountains
That are so high
Keep me from seeing
Where are my love.

Lay down, o mountains,
Rise up, o plains,
So I may see
Where are my love

Those mountains
Will lay down so low
That my dear love
Will come closer.

FRANÇAIS

Sous ma fenêtre
Il y a un petit oiseau,
Qui toute la nuit chante,
Chante sa chanson.

Refrain

S’il chante, qu’il chante,
Il ne chante pas pour moi,
Il chante pour ma mie,
Qui est loin de moi.

Ces montagnes,
Qui sont si hautes,
M’empêchent de voir,
Où sont mes amours.

Abaissez-vous, montagnes,
Plaines, haussez-vous,
Pour que je puisse voir,
Où sont mes amours.

Ces montagnes,
Se rabaisseront,
Et mes amourettes,
Se rapprocheront.

Banksy and Yayi

My Banksy exhibition Review:

I have come up from underground, 
A Teddy holds a Molotov cocktail
A girl, safety jacket of hope. 
Pulp Fiction’s Travolta 
clutches not a gun but a banana. 
Anti-immigration birds wave their signs:
'Go back to Africa 
and Keep off our Worms.'
Meantime the English Maid 
sweeps all under a wall. 


Yayi d’apres Banksy [sans stencil] :

Les chants d’Elysée n’ont Pas Ri. 
Les Misérables font la Causette. 
Elles Gavent Roche et tous les gamins. 
Napoléon envoilé d’une cape rouge 
ne passera pas les Alpes à cheval.
Et à Londres on voit 
Show me the Monet.