by Antonin Perbosc (1861 - 1944)

Language: Occitan 
Our translations:  ENG
La tèrra se durbis als afogats gazèls.
L'etèrna nòbia ofris à lor esquisadura,
Per l'obransa d'amor e de congrelhadura, 
Sos popèls tant molzuts etèrnament piucèls.

E tram totes los camps, e jos totes los cèls,
Sul grand rugle virant que l'Astràs escaudura,
Es la mema òbra santa e la mema ondradura
De parels afanats engarlandats d'auzèls.

Enrengatz-vos, bordons! La règa del lauraire 
E la d'aquel que ten lo calam per araire 
Portan un nom pariu en parlar occitan,
E l'estròfa es atal sòrre de la mosada:

Trobaires e boiers fan levar, en cantant,
Lo dople noiriment de vida e de pensada.

Note: Perbosc strove to “purify” modern Occitan in order to recreate the language used by medieval troubadours. He wanted to make the linguistic work of Frédéric Mistral “more classical.” Mistral won the 1904 Nobel Prize for Literature for his work restoring the language of Provence, and Canteloube preferred his approach to Occitan. Canteloube's sung text therefore differs in spelling.

Composition:

    Set to music by Joseph Canteloube (1879 - 1957), "Lauraires e trobaires", 1922, first performed 1923 [ voice and piano ], from L'Arada, no. 6

Text Authorship:

  • by Antonin Perbosc (1861 - 1944), "Lauraires e trobaires", written 1902, appears in L'Arada, first published 1906

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

  • ENG English (Laura Prichard) , "Plowmen and troubadors", copyright © 2019, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Laura Prichard [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2019-07-23
Line count: 14
Word count: 102