I cannot cross
It is not water but language that divides us
French is not my tongue
Canteloube’s Occitan beyond me
The composer stands his ground
He alone can make this work.
From the first bar I am lost to the world
For six minutes twenty seven seconds
On the soaring voice
Of Frederica Von Stade
Carried by her operatic tongue
I understand the idyllic the ancient shepherd lived
Floating on air the maiden’s warning
Reaches the far side of the river
And breaks the shepherd’s isolation
No longer alone with his sheep,
In love
With the melody lightly hovering over the meadow
This Ekphrastic poem addresses Canteloube’s Songs of d’auvergne. Especially the popular Bailero sung by Frederica Von Stade.
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=CcDe9N8SSNk&feature=share
Bailero English words
Shepherd across the river
You’re hardly having a good time
Sing baïlèro lèrô
Shepherd, the meadows are in bloom
You should watch your
flock on this side
Sing baïlèro lèrô
Shepherd, the water divides us
And I can’t cross it
Sing baïlèro lèrô
I could write an essay on how wonderful it is creatives took the time to capture the folk songs sung in native dialects, or languages, now dead. Canteloube lived for most of his life in France d’auvergne area and in recording these tunes he preserves something lost in the homogenisation of language across the globe.
Many nations understand, almost too late old languages deserve to be preserved. Thank goodness some will survive a little longer.
How I came to write it is explained here
https://matthewtoffolo.com/2020/10/08/interview-with-poet-bruce-waddell-the-shepherds-song/
Inshore Cassandra 