L'herbo que grio Toujours reverdilho; L'herbo d'amour Reverdilho toujours.
The plant of love grows where there are young hearts; but how comes it that middle-aged hearts turn inevitably to cast iron? There is one song which has the right to be accepted as the typical love-song of Provence. Mistral adapted it to his own use, and it figures in his poem as the "Chanson de Majali." My translation follows as closely as may be after the popular version which is sung from the Comtat Venaissin to the Var:
Margaret! my first love, Do not say me nay! A morning music thou must have, A waking roundelay. --Your waking music irks me, And irk me all who play; If this goes on much longer I'll drown myself one day. --If this goes on much longer, And thou wilt drown one day, Why, then a swimmer I will be, And save thee sans delay. --If then a swimmer thou wilt be, And save me sans delay, Then I will be an eel, and slip From 'twixt thy hands away. --If thou wilt be an eel, and slip From 'twixt my hands away, Why, I will be the fisherman Whom all the fish obey. --If thou wilt be the fisherman Whom all the fish obey, Then I will be the tender grass That yonder turns to hay. --If thou wilt be the tender grass That yonder turns to hay, Why, then a mower I will be, And mow thee in the may. --If thou a mower then wilt be, And mow me in the may, I, as a little hare, will go In yonder wood to stray. --If thou a little hare wilt go In yonder wood to stray, Then will I come, a hunter bold, And have thee as my prey. --If thou wilt come a hunter bold To have me as thy prey, Then I will be the endive small In yonder garden gay. --If thou wilt be the endive small In yonder garden gay, Then I will be the falling dew, And fall on thee alway. --If thou wilt be the falling dew, And fall on me alway, Then I will be the white, white rose On yonder thorny spray. --If thou wilt be the white, white rose On yonder thorny spray, Then I will be the honey bee, And kiss thee all the day. --If thou wilt be the honey bee, And kiss me all the day, Then I will be in yonder heaven The star of brightest ray. --If thou wilt be in yonder heaven The star of brighest ray, Then I will be the dawn, and we Shall meet at break of day. --If thou wilt be the dawn, so we May meet at break of day, Then I will be a nun professed, A nun of orders grey. --If thou wilt be a nun professed, A nun of orders grey, Then I will be the prior, and thou To me thy sins must say. --If thou wilt be the prior, and I To thee my sins must say, Then will I sleep among the dead, While the sisters weep and pray. --If thou wilt sleep among the dead, While the sisters weep and pray, Then I will be the holy earth That on thee they shall lay. --If thou wilt be the holy earth That on me they shall lay-- Well--since some gallant I must have, I will not say thee nay.