Prayer from Normandy | Our good Virgin Mary

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by André Daviel (1886 - 1970), as Jacques Hébertot

Translation © by Thomas A. Gregg

Prière Normande

Language: French (Français)

Our translations: ENG

Notre bonne Vierge Marie, 
A genoux nous vous implorons, 
Apprenez-nous comment on prie
Pour mieux prier et nous prierons. 
Donnez de l'herbe à la prairie
Et du soleil aux pommiers ronds, 
Notre bonne Vierge Marie. 

Et vous, Messieurs les Saints Archanges, 
Saint Nicolas et Saint Michel,
Remplissez de blé d'or nos granges 
Et toutes nos ruches de miel.
Dispersez beaucoup de mésanges 
Dans nos arbres qui vont au ciel, 
O vous Messieurs les Saints Archangees. 

Saint Joseph, à la barbe blanche, 
Ami des bêtes et des gens, 
Faites qu'il soit toujours Dimanche
pour les gueux et les indigents.
Posez des fruits sur chaque branche,
Serions-nous par trop exigeants?
Saint Joseph à la barbe blanche.

Seigneur, Dieu de toutes les choses, 
Laissez grimper vos fleurs 
Le long des murs des maisons roses, 
Faites les jours, les mois meilleurs, 
Accordez-nous beaucoup de roses,
Dans nos jardins et dans nos coeurs,
O Seigneur, Dieu de toutes choses.

Text Authorship:

by André Daviel (1886 - 1970), as Jacques Hébertot [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by André Caplet (1879 - 1925), "Prière Normande", 1916, published 1918, first performed 1919 [ high voice and piano or orchestra ], Paris, Éd. Durand [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Thomas A. Gregg) , "Prayer from Normandy", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Thomas A. Gregg

This text was added to the website: 2004-03-26
Line count: 28
Word count: 154

Prayer from Normandy

Language: English after the French (Français)

 Our good Virgin Mary,
 on our knees we implore you,
 teach us how to pray,
 to pray better, and we will pray.
 Give us grass in the meadow,
 and sun on the round apples,
 our good Virgin Mary.

 And you, the Holy Archangels,
 Saint Nicholas and Saint Michael,
 fill our barns with golden wheat,
 and all our beehives with honey. 
 Disperse the many chickadees
 in our trees that reach to the sky,
 O you, the Holy Archangels.

 Saint Joseph, in the white beard,
 friend of beasts and people,
 make it always be Sunday 
 for the rogues and the indigents.
 Put fruit on every branch, 
 would we be too exacting,
 Saint Joseph, in the white beard?

 Lord, God of all things,
 let your flowers grow
 along the walls of the pink houses,
 make the days and months better,
 grant us many roses, 
 in our gardens and in our hearts,
 O Lord, God of all things.

Text Authorship:

Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2003 by Thomas A. Gregg, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in French (Français) by André Daviel (1886 - 1970), as Jacques Hébertot
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2004-03-26
Line count: 28
Word count: 155