Christmas in July

Sk8 posted a topic about being really into Christmas in July, and it got me to pull out my old Chansons de Noël (Christmas Carols in French) from my first year of French. At the time, I hated the carols, but I will never forget some of the vocabulary that we learned from those songs, not to mention certain lines or even entire songs in French.

Well, I had some of the songs stuck in my head, but because they were so long, I couldn't remember every line. It's been bugging me a bit, because I really am getting into Christmas for some reason, and the topic finally got me moving to my desk drawer in my room to find my Chansons sheets. They were really easy to find, and I started singing Il Est Né le Divin Enfant (He Was Born the Divine Child, no English version) as soon as I got back to my computer desk in the Abyss. Since then, I've sung every song I could rememer the tunes for, excluding Vive le Vent or Tintez Cloches, which are both versions of Jingle Bells. The songs:

Il Est Né le Divin Enfant
Cantique pour Noël
Sainte Nuit (Silent Night)
O Petit Ville de Bethléhem (Oh Little Town of Bethlehem)
Le Petit Tambour (Little Drummer Boy)
Venez Fidéles (Come All Ye Faithful)
Joie Sur la Terre (Joy to the World)
Un Flambeau
Choral des Adieux
Noël Blanc (White Christmas)

It's been a lot of fun, and even (oddly) emotional. J'aime beaucoup le français!

Chansons de Noël

These are my favorite French carols. They are so beautiful. I've spent the past hour or so translating them, using my French-English dictionary and the Google translator, and I love them so much more than the English versions. If I had a better voice, I would record myself singing them, so I could listen to them all the time. Maybe I'll teach my mom or my sister how to pronounce everything so they can sing them for me.

I've been thinking. If I ever get back into the Church -- and I mean really into it, not like I am now, going and participating but not completely believing -- it will be because of these songs. They are so powerful to me.

Cantique Pour Noël
To the tune of O Holy Night

Minuit! Chrétiens, c'est l'heure solennelle,
Où l'homme Dieu descendit jusqu'à nous.
Pour effacer la tache originelle
Et de son Père arrêter le courroux.
Le monde entier tressaille d'espérance,
À cette nuit qui lui donne un Sauveur.
Peuple à genoux, attends ta délivrance.
Noël! Noël! Voici le Rédempteur!
Noël! Noël! Voici le Rédempteur!

Le Rédempteur abrise toute entrave,
La terre est libre et le ciel est ouvert.
Il voit un frère où n'était qu'un esclave,
L'amour nuit ceux qu'enchainait le fer!
Qui lui dira notre reconnaissance?
C'est pour nous tous qu'il nait,
Qu'il souffre et meurt.
Peuple, debout! Chante ta délivrance!
Noël! Noël! Chantons le Rédempteur!
Noël! Noël! Chantons le Rédempteur!

Sainte Nuit
To the tune of Silent Night

Sainte nuit, à minuit
Le hameau dort sans bruit;
Dans l'étable repose un enfant
Que sa mère contemple en priant;
Elle a vu le Sauveur
Dans l'enfant de son cœur.

À minuit, dans la nuit
Un espoir vous conduit
Pauvres pâtres craintifs et pieux
Qui dormez sous la voûte de cieux
À retenti soudain, à retenti soudain.

Sainte nuit, douce nuit,
O splendeur qui reluit!
De tendresse, ta bouche sourit,
O Jésus! Ta naissance nous dit,
Un sauveur nous est né,
Un sauveur nous est né!