<BGSOUND src="alsace.mid" LOOP="2">LA BONNE CHANSON


 
TITLE Enfant de L'Alsace
HISTORY The lyrics for this old song were transcribed from memory by my maternal grandmother, Marie Vaillancourt Dube Trudelle when she was 67 years old. Memere wrote the lyrics (in pencil) into one of my mother's song books while she was visiting with us on 17 November 1954. This was one of the songs that she learned from her grandmother (she lost her mother at a very young age) and that she, in turn, would later sing to her children after the turn of the century which included my dear Mother, Elsie Dube Theriault. During the fall of 1997 during one of Mother's visits with us, I asked her if she could remember the music for these lyrics. At first, she did not think that she could remember them. It had been too long. But she persevered and alas after trying again and again, she was able to recover the melody piece by piece. We were overwhelmed with joy that we had retrieved this nearly lost but cherished song from the past and brought it back to life. Now, I am equally delighted to be able to share this old French song with you through the magic of computer-based composers (called sequencers) and the Internet. But I must give special credit and heart-felt thanks to my new Internet friend and musician, Barry Taylor who sequenced this song. I gave him the basic melody in a Sequencer MIDI file and he produced the music as you will hear it. Although we are on opposite sides of this great North American continent, he was able to play a most important role in reviving and making this very ancient song available to you. For those of you who know Memere Trudelle and for those of you who appreciate music and music history, please send Barry a thank-you note. He is a most generous and talented man. Just click on his e-mail address  bntaylor@home.com and tell him "Thanks Barry for L'Enfant d'Alsace!"...
INTERPRETATION The song is a story of history; this one of the ancient French province of Alsace which borders Germany. Over its history, Alsace has been taken like a pawn by the Germans, recovered later by the French, taken again by the Germans, etc. It was written from the French viewpoint and it is a story of a young Alsacian couple and their young son, Louis. The father's allegiance is to Germany and is thus depicted as a traitor in the song. The mother remains true to France and teaches their son her love of France. Upon discovering this, the husband literally crucifies his young son (in the fourth verse) as a lesson for all. To help in the interpretation of the song, let me offer the following notes: in the first verse, the song refers to Germany as 'l'aigle noir'... the black eagle (Germany's national symbol) who 'discolored/decouleurez' the colors of the French flag from red, white and blue to black, red and gold. Reference is also made to the 'infamous/infame' husband who had accepted the 'joug Allemand'... the German yoke (of an oxen) to do their work. The reference in the second verse to the 'Marseillaise', the French National Anthem, means that the mother was teaching her love of France to her son.
LYRICS C'e-tais toutes au fond de l'Al-sac-es
Sous le toit d'un pauv-re ham-eau,
Ou l'aig-le noir a pris la plac-e
De-cou-leur-ez not-re drap-eau,
La vi-vais l'e-poux et la fem-me
Av-ec leur fils be-be char-mant,
Mais le pere com-me un in-fam-e
Ac-cep-tais le joug Al-le-mand.
Mais mal-gre son en-fan-ce
En de-pit du vain-queur,
L'en-fant aim-ais la Fran-ce
Dans sont tout pet-it coeur.
Mais mal-gre son en-fan-ce
En de-pit du vain-queur,
L'en-fant aim-ais la Fran-ce
Dans sont tout pet-it coeur.

Sa mere a-vais l'am-e fran-cais-e,
A son en-fant en le ber-cant
Lui ap-pre-nais la Mar-seill-ais-e.
Lors-que le pere e-tais ab-sent
el-le lui di-sais d'une voix fi-ere:
'Quand tu se-ra grand mon Lou-is
Tu tra-vers-er-a la fron-tier-e
Pour ser-vir ton anc--ient pa-ys.'
'Ah oui, Me-re che-ri-e',
Dis-ais t'il tend-re-ment,
 j'aim-e bien ma pa-tri-e
Et aus-si ma Ma-man.
'Ah oui, Mer-e che-ri-e',
Dis-ais t'il tend-re-ment,
 j'aim-e bien ma pa-tri-e
Et aus-si ma Ma-man.

Le pere ren-trant a l'imp-rov-ist-e
L'en-fant dans un pe-tit ob-scur,
Vit son fils en pe-tit art-ist-e
Tra-cent des des-sein sur le mur.
C'e-tais des brav-es et des brav-es
Que des-sin-ais le cher en-fant
Des sold-ats, des Turc et des Zou-aves.
Lui dit 'Que fais tu la, bri-gand?'
L'en-fant re-pond au trait-re
'Des sol-dats tri-om-phant.
C'est ca que je veut etr-e
Lors-que j'au-rez vingts ans.'
L'en-fant re-pond au traitr-e
'Des sol-dats tri-om-phant.
C'est ca que je veut etr-e
Lors-que j'au-rez vingts ans.'

Le trait-re al-ors lui re-pond-is
'Mon cher en-fant lors-que tu sais,
Tu va voir com-ment je cha-ti-e
Ce lui qui ose (aime) les fran-cais.'
L'at-tach-ant av-ec un-e cor-de
Ce vil ser-vit-eur des bri-gand,
Sur le mur sans mi-se-ri-cord-e
Lui clou-ant les pieds et les mains.
L'en-fant dans ses souf-franc-es,
L'en-fant mal-gre ses pleurs
Dis-ais 'Viv-e la Franc-e,
Pour toi, Franc-e, je meurs.'
L'en-fant dans ses souf-franc-es,
L'en-fant mal-gre ses pleurs
Dis-ais 'Viv-e la Franc-e,
Pour toi, Franc-e, je meurs.'

En-fin, a ses ap-pels su-prem-e,
La foule ac-cour-ut en stu-peur,
Les sol-dats al-le-mand eux-mem-e,
S'emb-lais tous pe-trif-iee d'hor-reur.
Le couv-rant de bais-er, sa me-re
Dans ses bras l'em-porte en pleur-ant.
Et l'en-fant ferm-e s'a pau-pier-e
Re-dis en-core en es-pir-ant:
'A-dieu, Franc-e que j'aim-e
A-dieu je va mour-ir.
Mais je t'aim-e quand mem-e
Jus-quau der-nier sou-pir.'
'A-dieu, Franc-e que j'aim-e
A-dieu je va mour-ir.
Mais je t'aim-e quand mem-e
Jus-quau der-nier sou-pir.'  Fin.