Un Flambeau (Bring a Torch), Jeanette, Isabella, from Family Christmas OnlineTMThis 16th-century French carol is traditionally associated with the Provence region of France. When I heard this as a child, I always thought that it was about one person named Jeanette Isabella. But actually the narrator is calling to two people to bring a light. Tradition has it that Jeanette and Isabella are milkmaids who discover the baby Jesus and run out to tell the villagers. French Text
C'est un tort quand l'Enfant sommeille.
Doucement, dans l'étable close,
English The following two verses are by E. Cuthbert Nunn - they are the verses most often sung in English, corresponding to the first and third verse above. Bring a torch, Jeanette, Isabella
Hasten now, good folk of the village,
The following verse is a fairly literal translation of the second French verse, which is seldom sung in English
The following verse is a more literal translation of the third French verse than Nunn's. Some arrangers choose a translation similar to this one, or use something in between. Softly now unto the stable,
If you have any corrections or comments you would like to make about this page, please contact me and I will be glad to hear from you. God bless - Paul |
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