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Les Trois Complaintes du soldat

André Jolivet
Language: French


André Jolivet

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‎[1940]‎
Versi e musica per voci ed orchestra di André Jolivet.‎

<br />
‎ Il gruppo “Jeune France”. Jolivet al pianoforte. in piedi da sinistra: Messiaen, Baudrier, ‎Daniel-Lesur

‎ Il gruppo “Jeune France”. Jolivet al pianoforte. in piedi da sinistra: Messiaen, Baudrier, ‎Daniel-Lesur


Il poeta e compositore André Jolivet fu nel 1936 tra i promotori – con Yves Baudrier, Jean Yves ‎Daniel-Lesur e Olivier Messiaen - del manifesto “Jeune France” per “diffondere una ‎musica scaturente da uno slancio vitale di sincerità, di generosità di coscienza artistica” … ‎Nel 1939 fu chiamato alle armi a Fontainebleau… “Les Trois Complaintes du soldat” sono il ‎resoconto della sua esperienza di guerra.‎

Il soldato protagonista è un vinto – come lo furono i francesi travolti dalle orde hitleriane – ma è ‎sopravvissuto ed è pronto, senz’armi e senza odio, a ricostruirsi una vita, a ricostruire il paese. Va in ‎cerca della sua famiglia ma, in un primo momento, crede che moglie e figli siano morti sotto un ‎bombardamento… Poi invece li ritrova e, riconoscente, eleva la sua preghiera a Dio.‎
L’ultima delle tre complaintes è anche la più scontata e retorica ma ci ho ritrovato ‎quello che diceva sempre mio zio, scampato a diversi anni di Grande Guerra e ritornato a casa ‎molto malato, Pòvri avans 'd la guèra infausta: “Non si muore né di fame, né di freddo, né di malattia, né in guerra ‎ma quando Dio vuole.”
La complainte du soldat vaincu

Me voici donc sans armes et nu,
Me voici donc sans haine et muet,
Me voici donc vide et pauvre
‎ comme des mains d’abondance qui n’ont pas assez donné.
Me voici maintenant
comme une image inutile de la souffrance de l’Homme,
me voici comme un cœur sans frère,
comme un grain de blé sans terre et sans eau.
Je suis au milieu d vous, pressés autour de mon corps sans pensée,
et vous interrogez mes paupières brûlées.
Mes amis, je vous dirai:
‎«Me voici donc sans armes et nu,
Me voici donc sans haine et muet,
Me voici donc vide et pauvre
comme des mains d’abondance qui n’ont pas assez donné.
Mais si je suis resté en vie
C’est pour maintenant partager vos souffrances,
Et si Dieu m’a gardé la vie
C’est pour travailler et construire avec vous,
Nous tous nous avons à refaire la vie,
Nous tous nous serons bâtisseurs de ce monde.
Et si je suis sans armes et nu
Et si je suis sans haine et muet,
Nous serons tous forts et riches
comme des mains de misère qui savent tout donner.»‎

La complainte du pont de Gien

Et voici le soldat sur la route,
Il recherche les siens.
‎(Et marche, et marche, use-toi les pieds!)
Il regarde à gauche et à droite,
Et ne voit toujours rien.
‎(A droite, à gauche, ouvre bien les yeux!)
‎«Ohé ! bonnes gens du village,
Les avez donc pas vu passer,
Une femme et deux gosses en bas âge,
Finirai-je par les rencontrer?»
Je suis pressé de leur dire:
‎«Bonjour, Mademoiselle la Fille,
Bonjour, Monsieur le Fils,
Bonjour, Bonjour, Madame la Mère,
Bonjour à tous, ma douce famille.
Après la Tempête, Nous voilà donc enfin réunis,
Tout contre moi vos trois têtes,
Réchaufferont mon cœur, mes chéris.
Bonjour, Mademoiselle la Fille,
Bonjour, Monsieur le Fils,
Bonjour, Madame la Mère,
Bonjour à tous, ma douce famille.»‎

Le soldat reconnaît sa voisine
Qui a longtemps marché.
‎(Marie, Marie, dis-lui qu’ils sont là!)
Il lui voit la figure chagrine,
Craint de l’interroger.
‎(Marie, Marie, qu’as-tu donc appris?)
‎«Hélas! Je vais te briser l’âme,
Tu ne dois plus chercher les tiens,
Disparus, tes enfants et ta femme,
Au passage du Pont de Gien!»
Et le soldat ne peut que dire :
‎«Adieu, Mademoiselle la Fille,
Adieu, Monsieur le Fils,
Adieu, Adieu, Madame la Mère,
Adieu à tous, ma douce famille.
Souffle la Tempête,
Adieu l’espoir d’être réunis,
Sous la mitraille vous êtes
Tombés sans souffle et privés de vie.
Adieu, Mademoiselle la Fille,
Adieu, Monsieur le Fils,
Adieu, Adieu, Madame la Mère,
Adieu à tous, ma douce famille.»‎

Le soldat s’agenouille au calvaire,
Il implore Jésus.
‎(Bon Dieu, Bon Dieu, écoutez-le bien!)
‎«Prenez soin des enfants, de la mère,
Près de vous revenus.»
‎(Et prie, et pleure, mon pauvre soldat!)
‎«Maman! Vois le soldat qui pleure!»
Dit près de lui un petit enfant.
‎«Est-ce vrai? Serait-ce encore un leurre?
Mon Dieu ! non, c’est bien eux et vivants!»
Et le soldat peut enfin dire:
‎«Bonjour, Mademoiselle la Fille,
Bonjour, Monsieur le Fils,
Bonjour, Madame la Mère,
Bonjour à tous, ma douce famille.»‎

La complainte à Dieu

Mon Dieu, c’est plein des larmes et des souffrances humaines
que je suis venu m’arrêter ici.‎

J’ai vu les larmes des enfants,
J’ai vu les larmes des mères,
J’ai entendu les cris de la peur,
J’ai entendu les cris de la souffrance de la chair.
J’ai pleuré les larmes des yeux privés de ce repos en vous,
Le sommeil…‎

J’ai ciré les cris de la chair meurtrie,
J’ai hurlé ces ordres de la Mort qui commande la Mort,‎

Et vous m’avez accueilli dans vos bras de Nature,
Et cette eau, ces herbes,
cette terre m’ont ouvert tout grands vos bras,
Et ces arbres et le chant des oiseaux
m’ont baigné dans votre sourire,
Et ce ciel et ce soleil se sont épanchés pour moi
comme votre cœur infini,
Comme votre cœur infini
où je retrouve l’Amour et la Paix
où je retrouve l’Amour et la Paix
et la sublimité divine des mystères.‎

Mon Dieu, j’étais en vous comme un enfant malade,
Et me voici tout ruisselant de votre gloire;
Mon Dieu, je sais que nos chemins seront de durs chemins
Mais c’est avec vous que je les gravirai
et ils me mèneront auprès de vous, je le sais…‎

Mon Dieu, lorsque vous aurez choisi de m’abattre,
ce sera pour me permettre de me rapprocher de vous,
Je le sais…
Faites qu’à cette heure-là je sois dans une sérénité
pareille à celle que je vous dois aujourd’hui…‎

Je m’en remets à vous;
Mon Dieu, je m’abandonne à vous,
A votre sourire, vos bras, votre cœur infini,
A votre cœur infini pour toujours
Ainsi soit-il!‎

Contributed by Bernart - 2013/6/25 - 15:02


Nota

‎(*) A Gien, nel Loiret, c’è uno storico, poderoso ponte (le cui origini risalgono alla prima metà del ‎XIII secolo) più volte distrutto e ricostruito. Durante il secondo conflitto mondiale fu parzialmente ‎distrutto almeno 4 volte.‎

Bernart - 2013/6/25 - 15:02



Language: English

Traduzione inglese di Christopher Goldsack da A Treasury for ‎Mélodie
THE THREE LAMENTS OF THE SOLDIER

THE LAMENT OF THE DEFEATED SOLDIER

Here then am I without weapons and naked,
here then am I without hatred and silent,
here then am I empty and poor like hands
of abundance which have not given enough.
Here am I now like a useless picture
of the suffering of man,
here am I like a heart without brothers,
like a grain of corn without earth and without water.
I am in the middle of you, pressed around
my body
without thoughts,
and you question my burnt eyelids;
My friends, I shall tell you:
Here then am I without weapons and naked,
here then am I without hatred and silent,
here then am I empty and poor like hands
of abundance which have not given enough.
But if I stayed alive
it was to share your suffering with you now,
and if God preserved my life
it was to work and build with you,
all of us, we have to reconstruct life
all of us, we shall be builders of this world.
And if I am without weapons and naked,
and if I am without hatred and silent,
we shall all be powerful and rich
like hands of abundance which know how
to give up everything.‎

THE LAMENT OF GIEN BRIDGE

And here is the soldier on the road,
he is searching for his family.
‎(Walk on, walk on, wear out your feet!)
He looks both left and right,
and still sees nothing.
‎(To the left, to the right, open your eyes wide!)
‎"Ahoy there! Good village people,
have you seen them passing,
a woman and two young children,
shall I ever find them?
I am anxious to tell them:
good day, my daughter,
good day, my son,
good day, Madam their Mother,
good day to you all, my sweet family.
After the Storm,
here we are then, together at last,
all against me,
your three heads,
will warm my heart again, my dear ones.
Good day, my daughter,
good day, my son,
good day, Madam their Mother,
good day to you all, my sweet family."‎

The soldier recognizes his neighbour
who has been walking a long time.
‎(Mary, Mary, tell him that they are here)
He sees her troubled face,
fears to question her.
‎(Mary, Mary, what then have you heard?)
‎"Alas, I am going to crush your soul,
you need no longer search for your family,
disappeared, your children and your wife,
at the crossing of the Gien bridge."
And the soldier can but say:
‎"Farewell, my daughter,
farewell, my son,
farewell, Madam their Mother,
farewell to you all, my sweet family.
Let the Storm blow,
farewell, hope of being reunited,
under the shot you
fell, without breath and deprived of life.
Farewell, my daughter,
farewell, my son,
farewell, Madam their Mother,
farewell to you all, my sweet family.”‎

The soldier kneels before the crucifix,
he prays to Jesus.
‎(Good Father, good Father, listen closely to him!)
‎"Take care of the children, of the mother,
near to you returned."
‎(Pray on and weep my poor soldier!)
‎"Mummy, look at the soldier who is crying"
says a little child close to him.
‎"Is it true? Would it be yet another glimmer?
My God! No,
it is indeed they, and alive!"
And the soldier can at last say:
‎"Good day, my daughter,
good day, my son,
good day, Madam their Mother,
good day to you all, my sweet family.
Despite the Storm,
here we are then, together at last,
all against me,
your three heads,
will warm my heart again, my dear ones.
Good day, my daughter,
good day, my son,
good day, Madam their Mother,
good day to you all, my sweet family."‎

LAMENT TO GOD

My God, it is full of human tears and
sufferings
that I have came to stop here.
I have seen the tears of the children,
I have seen the tears of the mothers,
I have heard the cries of terror,
I have heard the cries of the suffering of flesh.
I have wept the tears of eyes deprived of this
rest in you,
sleep,...
I have cried the cries of torn flesh,
I have screamed these orders of Death,
which governs Death,
and you have welcomed me
in your arms of nature,
and this water, these grasses, this earth
have opened your arms wide to me,
and these trees and the song of the birds
have bathed me in your smile,
and both the sky and the sun
have opened themselves to me
as has your infinite heart
in which I find Love and Peace again
in which I find Love and Peace again
and the divine sublimity of the mysteries.
My God, I was in you like a sick
child,
and here am I, dripping with your glory;
My God, I know that our paths
will be strenuous paths
but it is with you that I shall surmount them.
And they will lead me close to you,
I know it...
My God, once you have chosen
the time to lay me low,
it will be to allow me to draw close
to you,
I know it.
Make me, at that hour,
have a serenity equal
to the one that I owe you today...
I entrust myself to you;
My God, I abandon myself to you,
to your smile, your arms, your infinite heart,
to your infinite heart
for ever
so let it be! ‎

Contributed by Bernart - 2013/6/25 - 15:09




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