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by Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974)
Translation © by Faith J. Cormier

Chant de nourrice
Language: French (Français)  after the Hebrew (עברית) 
Our translations:  ENG
Dors, ma fleur, mon fils chéri; 
pendant que je balancerai ton berceau, 
je vais te dire le conte de ta vie. 
Je commence par te prévenir que tu es un Hébreu,
Que tu as Israël pour nom 
et que c'est là ton titre de noblesse. 
Ô mon chéri, quand tu seras avec des gens 
étrangers à ton peuple, 
ne sois pas honteux devant leurs insultes 
mais responds-leur bien haut. 
Oh! je te prie, sois sans peur aucune, 
dis leur: "Ne suis-je pas le descendant des saints,
fils du peuple eternal?"
Fils du peuple éternellement persécuté 
malheureux comme point d'autre, glorieux quand même, 
car il dure, et cela depuis des siècles 
et cela pour toujours. 
Ne désespère point, mon fils chéri 
parceque ton peuple est en exil. 
Crois plutôt que le soleil de la justice 
un jour brillera sur nous. 
Souviens-toi sans cesse que nous avons un pays,
là-bas, très loin, que c'est vers lui 
que l'âme de tout juif aspire avec ardeur. 
Sur ses monts, dans ses champs délicieux 
tu deviendras ce que tu voudras: 
vigneron, berger, planteur, jardinier, 
tu vivras paisible.... 
Dors ma fleur, mon fils chéri.

Text Authorship:

  • by Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974)

Based on:

  • a text in Hebrew (עברית) from Volkslieder (Folksongs)  [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

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

  • by Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974), "Chant de nourrice", op. 34 no. 1 (1916), published 1920 [ medium voice and piano ], from Poèmes Juifs, no. 1, Paris, Éd. Demets (Max Eschig) [sung text checked 1 time]

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

  • ENG English (Faith J. Cormier) , "Song of the Nurse", copyright © 2002, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 29
Word count: 188

Song of the Nurse
Language: English  after the French (Français) 
 Sleep, my flower, my dear son. 
 While I rock your cradle, 
 I will tell you the story of your life. 
 I will start by saying that you are a Hebrew, 
 that your name is Israel, 
 and that this is your title of nobility. 
 Darling, when you are with those 
 who do not know your people, 
 do not be ashamed before their insults, 
 but answer them aloud. 
 I pray you, be fearless. 
 Say, "Am I not descended from the holy ones,
 the son of the eternal people?", 
 the son of the eternally persecuted people, 
 unhappy like no other but still glorious,
 for it has endured for centuries 
 and will endure forever. 
 Do not despair, my darling son, 
 because your people is in exile. 
 Rather, believe that the sun of justice 
 will shine on us one day. 
 Never forget that we have a country,
 very far away, and that calls out 
 to the soul of all Jews. 
 On its mountains, in its delicious fields, 
 you will become whatever you want to be:
 vinedresser, shepherd, planter, gardener, 
 you will live in peace... 
 Sleep, my flower, my dear son.

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to English copyright © 2002 by Faith J. Cormier, (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 Darius Milhaud (1892 - 1974)
    • Go to the text page.

Based on:

  • a text in Hebrew (עברית) from Volkslieder (Folksongs)  [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 29
Word count: 186

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This website began in 1995 as a personal project by Emily Ezust, who has been working on it full-time without a salary since 2008. Our research has never had any government or institutional funding, so if you found the information here useful, please consider making a donation. Your help is greatly appreciated!
–Emily Ezust, Founder

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